N.Y. Nurses Stand Up for Union Rights in Fight for First Contract

On Monday, CWA-represented nurses at Cayuga Medical Center (CMC) in Ithaca, N.Y., filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the company. The healthcare workers joined CWA Local 1111 in December 2025 and are bargaining their first contract.

Instead of joining CWA members at the bargaining table, CMC management has violated federal labor laws by telling hospital staff that they cannot talk to each other about the union and unlawfully taking down union flyers in public areas. The company has been slow to respond to workers' demand to bargain, meriting a charge of bargaining in bad faith. The nurses remain focused on reaching a union contract that addresses concerns over short-staffing and deteriorating conditions impacting both their working conditions and patient care.

"The administration's actions feel disrespectful of our legal rights, and it concerns me that there is such opposition to something that statistically will improve outcomes for patients," said Shane Snyder, In-Patient Wound RN. "We voted overwhelmingly to unionize months ago, but we still haven't formally started negotiations. We want to start bargaining our contract, and I urge management to stop delaying and work with us to find a compromise."

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