(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – New York’s Health Care Workers are calling on the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to aggressively enforce the State’s historic 2021 Clinical Staffing Committee Law.

Health Care Workers from hospitals across New York, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 1, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU), the Public Employees Federation (PEF), New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) joined together in Albany Monday (May 13th) to demand the DOH take immediate action.

The law is meant to ensure minimum staffing standards, agreed upon by both hospitals’ management and Workers in order to curtail the staffing crisis impacting Caregivers and their patients.

A host of State Elected Officials - including Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assembly Members Amy Paulin, Harry Bronson, Karines Reyes, Aileen Gunther and Phara Souffrant Forrest, attended the rally alongside the workers. 

The Albany action comes just weeks after State Legislators passed the 2025 Fiscal Year Budget, which included less than a 4% increase in Medicaid funding for hospitals, far below what was proposed by Health Care Leaders and advocates 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 and 1199 SEIU - including more than 2,500 alleged violations under hospitals’ clinical staffing plans filed in March 2024 with the DOH on behalf of Health Care Workers across Catholic Health in Buffalo. 

Nearly 8,000 alleged violations that were filed with the DOH in November 2023 on behalf of Workers across New York State’s hospitals - including Kaleida Health, New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan and Arnot Ogden Medical Center, remain unresolved.

In response to the November filings, the DOH has conducted unannounced visits to hospitals across New York to investigate their adherence to the law, the result of which remains to be seen, Union Officials said.

To date, the DOH has issued only 25 citations to hospitals that violated the Staffing Law. 

Front Line Caregivers continue to report chronic staffing issues plaguing hospitals around the State, prompting Workers to rally on the steps of the Senate to demand enforcement of this critical law.

In lieu of strong State enforcement, NYSNA Nurses have used Union contract provisions to document chronic understaffing, resulting in millions of dollars in financial restitution from third-party arbitrators.  After presenting evidence and testimony, they have also won rulings that order hospitals to hire an adequate number of Nurses to achieve safe staffing standards.

CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis G. Trainor said: “The DOH needs to stop dragging its feet on safe staffing.  The Clinical Staffing Committee Law was passed three years ago and enforced at the beginning of last year.  Our patients can’t wait any longer.  This law lives and dies by what the DOH does in the next few months.”

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: "Patient safety should be everyone's priority, but hospitals are violating our Safe Staffing Laws, putting patients at risk.  Nurses, Health Care Workers and their Unions are all speaking out in one united voice to say it’s time for New York to enforce our Safe Staffing Laws.”

1199 SEIU Executive Vice President Nadine Williams said: “As dedicated Caregivers, including Nurses, Technicians, Aides and the entire CARE TEAM represented by 1199 SEIU, we have tirelessly advocated for legislation aimed at enhancing our capacity to provide optimal patient care.  This legislation holds promise in elevating both patient outcomes and job satisfaction, particularly through collaborative efforts between Front Line Caregivers and management, fostering open communication and problem-solving initiatives.  While progress is evident in numerous health care facilities, this is merely the initial phase of an extensive journey. Regrettably, certain hospitals are failing to uphold the essence and specifics of the legislation.”

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Healthcare Workers Across NY Demand State Department of Health Address Critical Staffing Levels at Hospitals Now by Enforcing 2021 Safe Staffing Law: “Our Patients Can’t Wait Any Longer, We Can’t Wait Any Longer” (1199seiu.org)

Photo Courtesy Of 1199 SEIU.