Nurses at Syosset, Plainview and Huntington hospitals ratify new contracts with Northwell Health

Nurses at Huntington, Plainview and Syosset hospitals have ratified new labor contracts with Northwell Health, according to a spokesperson for the health system. 

The agreements include pay increases and “strong benefits,” said Barbara Osborn, deputy chief public relations officer for Northwell Health. The contracts also allow New Hyde Park-based Northwell, the largest private employer in New York State, to staff its hospitals “based on patient and operational needs” and to “continue investing in technology and clinical programs to support high-quality care now and in the future,” Osborn said in an emailed statement Thursday.

Key sticking points in the negotiations between the nurses' union and Northwell were staffing levels and nurse-to-patient ratios that put unsustainable workloads on current staff, according to New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the union representing more than 1,000 nurses at the three hospitals, Newsday previously reported. 

The contracts maintain the health system's "flexible staffing model," which is adjusted "based on immediate patient needs and safety, rather than fixed staffing ratios," Osborn said. She declined to provide more details.

A representative for the union confirmed that the nurses ratified the contracts, but did not respond to further questions. 

“Although Northwell continues to fight against the safe staffing that we know keep patients safe, nurses were still able to secure improvements to care for Long Island patients and working conditions for nurses,” said NYSNA president Nancy Hagans said in an emailed statement.

According to the agreements, which NYSNA and Northwell representatives reached on Jan. 10, the nurses will get roughly 5% raises each of the three years covered by the deals, Newsday reported. The deals also included "improved" staffing standards at all three hospitals, according to the union, including Huntington Hospital, which joined the NYSNA union in 2024 after previously having a different in-house union, Newsday reported.

The agreements avoided a possible strike at the three hospitals. The nurses voted to authorize a strike last month if a deal wasn't reached by a Dec. 31 deadline.

The deals come amid a strike by roughly 15,000 nurses at New York City hospitals over staffing levels, safety and concerns about artificial intelligence, Newsday reported. NYSNA and hospital representatives were to resume negotiations Thursday as the strike entered its fourth day, The Associated Press reported. The two sides haven’t met since Sunday.