(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – Hundreds of Health Care Workers represented by Communications Workers of America District 1 (CWA D1), the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU), the Public Employees Federation (PEF), American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCE) District Council 37 (DC 37), New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), and New York State AFL-CIO will rally Monday (May 13) in Albany to demand swift action from the State and Department of Health (DOH) to address New York’s statewide health care crisis through robust enforcement of the 2021 Clinical Staffing Committee Law.

Workers will be joined by a number of State Elected Officials to call for immediate action by the DOH to tackle rampant understaffing across New York’s hospitals that has jeopardized patient care and safety across the State.

Since the 2021 Clinical Staffing Committee Law went into effect in January 2023, thousands of unresolved staffing complaints have been filed on behalf of Workers by CWA District 1, NYSNA, 1199 SEIU and other Unions representing Health Care Workers, including more than 8,000 complaints in November and 2,500 complaints filed in March, under Hospitals’ Clinical Staffing Plans with the DOH on behalf of Health Care Workers across Catholic Health and Kaleida Health in Buffalo. 

Chronic staffing issues at hospitals in New York clearly violate provisions of the Staffing Law meant to increase transparency and hold hospitals accountable to safe staffing standards (as agreed upon in plans submitted to and approved by the State.

While the DOH has conducted some investigations, the outcomes of these investigations remain unseen and not readily accessible to the public, Union Officials charge.