Preparing for Resurgence, Fighting Layoffs As summer approached, the COVID surge was subsiding—but far from over. While continuing to care for COVID patients, NYSNA members were also battling on several other fronts—against layoffs in less-impacted regions of the state, keeping hospitals—and essential health services like mental healthcare and maternal and child health—open for care, and preparing for a COVID resurgence by demanding that hospitals,
public health officials, and local authorities reopen with care. In May we celebrated a Nurses Week like no other, with NYSNA members across the state taking action. We also released NYSNA’s reopening plan, spelling out how New York could responsibly reopen the economy, and highlighting what nurses still needed to battle the pandemic. We launched the Nurses Week release of our reopening platform with a rally at Brooklyn Hospital,
iNYC H + H, Riker’s Islandi
iAlbany Medical Centeri
iWestchester Medical Center Vigili
iSt. Joseph’s and St. John’s Vigili 16
2020 a year like no other
iChamplain Valley Physician’s Hospitali
followed by a rally of NYC H+H nurses outside of Rikers Island, demanding New York center its recovery efforts on the hardest-hit communities. We also spent the spring and summer fighting against layoffs—and we won! At St. Elizabeth Medical Center nurses spoke out against Mohawk Valley Health System’s plans to cut staff. After a hard fight, we prevented furloughs, preserved our contractual rights, and brought back laid-off nurses.
