Brooklyn, NY – NYSNA nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP)-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital are intensifying their fight for a fair contract.
With their contract expired as of April 30, 2026, and over a dozen bargaining sessions behind them, they are stepping on the gas to win a fair contract that protects nurse and patient safety.
On May 26, dozens of nurses gathered with community, labor and faith allies at a candlelight vigil to bring awareness to rising workplace violence at the hospital. Nightshift emergency department nurse Jolie Tuma, RN, spoke out and described how the ED is increasingly busy and understaffed, with mental health patients sometimes languishing there for a week. Veronica Carnero, RN, described how callous management was when she was injured by a patient at work—an injury that has kept her away from the bedside and delivered a financial hit. She called for better staffing and workplace violence protections, including paid time off to deal with medical and legal issues that result from workplace violence.
The vigil was incredibly moving, with the crowd of people holding candles and singing along to live music from a pastor and musician from the Poor Peoples Campaign. New York City Central Labor Council President Brendan Griffith brought a message of solidarity from the city’s labor movement, saying that, “In healthcare, violence should not be business as usual.”
