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★ Vol. I · No. 1 · June 2026 ★

The Shift Report

Voice of NYP Lower Manhattan Nurses — By Nurses, For Nurses · CWA Local 1104 Rank & File Communication

From the Bargaining Unit

Our Staffing. Our Record.

By The Shift Report Editorial Team

Welcome to the first issue of The Shift Report, a rank-and-file nurse communication space created for NYP Lower Manhattan nurses represented by CWA Local 1104.

This space was built to help nurses know who their delegates are, understand the CBA, document staffing concerns, follow staffing committee and labor-management updates, recognize coworkers, share stories, and support one another across every unit and every shift.

When staffing does not match the grid, document it. When breaks are missed because there is no coverage, document it. When an assignment feels unsafe, document it. A bad shift is easy to dismiss. A documented pattern is much harder to ignore.

Facts win. Receipts matter. Staffing is safety.

This newsletter is one more way to make sure nurses are informed, connected, and harder to ignore.

One hospital. Many units. One voice.

Find My DelegateFile Safe Staffing ReportSubmit POA IntakeSend Something In
§ 01

Hospital Watch

Policies, leadership, infrastructure, events, and hospital-wide updates nurses should know about.

Current status

No verified Hospital Watch update has been posted yet.

Categories we'll cover:
  • Nursing policy changes
  • Practice updates
  • Infrastructure changes
  • Unit moves or renovations
  • Leadership changes
  • Parking / security updates
  • Hospital events
  • Social meetups
  • Verified tips
Submit a Hospital Watch Tip →
Warning — No rumors. No screenshots. No "my cousin heard from night shift" journalism. Send verified updates only.
§ 02

Clinical Staffing Committee

Staffing is safety. This section shares general, non-confidential updates about staffing committee work.

Current update: The Clinical Staffing Committee is currently reviewing and proposing each unit's staffing grid for 2027. Both leadership and frontline worker representatives are making proposals.

At the last meeting on 5/13/26, ED and ICU frontline staff presented their proposed staffing grids.

Voting is expected to take place at the next meeting on 5/26/26 at 8:30 AM.

What nurses should know: Staffing grids affect the baseline staffing expectations for each unit and shift. Frontline input matters because bedside nurses understand the real workload, acuity, patient flow, admissions, discharges, boarding, and support-staff needs that do not always show up cleanly on paper.

What nurses can do:

· Talk to your unit delegate or frontline staffing representative.
· Share factual concerns about your unit's staffing needs.
· Use the Safe Staffing Report when actual staffing does not match the grid or conditions feel unsafe.
· Keep documentation factual and de-identified.

Do not publish actual proposed grids, confidential discussion details, meeting strategy, or individual comments unless approved.

§ 03

At the Table

Labor-Management Updates · Pending next meeting.

This section will summarize general, non-confidential labor-management topics and follow-up items relevant to nurses.

Format used when updates are available:

· Meeting date
· General topics raised
· Follow-up requested
· Updates received
· Items still pending
· What nurses should know

Do not post confidential strategy, private personnel issues, grievance details, individual disciplinary matters, or patient-identifying information.

§ 04

Contract Decoded

The CBA is our roadmap. This section explains parts of the contract in plain English so nurses understand what it says, what it means, and what to do when something does not seem right.

Article of the Month

Breaks Are Safety

What the CBA says

The CBA provides that an employee working a full shift is entitled to two paid 15-minute rest periods per working day. An employee working a full half-shift is entitled to one paid 15-minute rest period. Rest periods may be combined by mutual agreement.

The CBA also provides a one-hour meal period that is not considered time worked. If an employee is not permitted to leave the building during the meal period, the Hospital must provide a meal and beverage. If an employee is interrupted to perform job duties during the first half hour, the employee is paid for one hour. If interrupted during the second half hour, the employee is paid for that half hour at the overtime rate.

What it means

A break is not charting while eating crackers over a trash can. A real break means you are relieved of work duties.

What nurses can do

If staffing prevents an uninterrupted break, notify the appropriate person, document the issue, use the Safe Staffing Report when staffing is involved, and tell a delegate if it becomes a pattern.

Suggested phrase: "I have not been able to take an uninterrupted break due to lack of coverage. Who will be covering my assignment?"

Bottom line → Breaks are not selfish. Breaks are safety.

The full CBA PDF is being moved behind member-only access until union leadership approves public posting. Contact a delegate for a copy in the meantime.

§ 05

Know Your Delegates

Your first call when something feels off on the floor.

Delegates are here to help nurses understand the CBA, document concerns, prepare for meetings, raise staffing issues, and connect with union resources. You do not need to wait until something becomes a five-alarm disaster to reach out. Earlier is better. Always.

Some units have multiple delegates. Some units may still need representation. If your unit is not listed, contact any delegate or the Chief Steward and we'll help connect you.

Need the full, updated directory? Visit Know Your Delegates.Full Delegate Directory →
PACU
Lavita Payton, RN
Chief Steward
Contact info coming soon
Emergency Department
Elsa Siddiqui, RN
Contact info coming soon
Emergency Department
Timothy Smeja, RN
Contact info coming soon
Emergency Department
Jacquelyn Hoberg, RN
Contact info coming soon
Emergency Department
Arjun Behal, RN
Contact info coming soon
5C / Med-Surg
Crystal Maldonado, RN
Contact info coming soon
5C / Med-Surg
Jerry Sun, RN
Contact info coming soon
Float Pool / Med-Surg
Marco Adalim, RN
Contact info coming soon
Neonatal ICU
Angela Mari-Bangcaya, RN
Contact info coming soon
3C ICU
Michelle Bandigan, RN
Contact info coming soon
3C ICU
Kerri Larkin, RN
Contact info coming soon
OB / Mother Baby
Baby Lagar, RN
Contact info coming soon
OB / Mother Baby
Meina Huang, RN
Contact info coming soon
Labor & Delivery
Mary Ji, RN
Contact info coming soon
Ambulatory Surgery
Samantha Chiodo, RN
Contact info coming soon
Operating Room
Jezelle John, RN
Contact info coming soon
4C / Tele Med-Surg
No delegate listed yet — interested in stepping up?
Be a Delegate →
4A / Med-Surg
No delegate listed yet — interested in stepping up?
Be a Delegate →
Be a Delegate →Full delegate directory →
§ 06

Know Your Weingarten Rights

Rep before you speak.

Weingarten Rights · NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc. (1975)

If you reasonably believe a meeting could lead to discipline, you have the right to request union representation.

"I am willing to cooperate, but I am requesting union representation before continuing because I believe this meeting could result in discipline."

Once you ask for representation, stop answering questions until representation is present or the meeting is ended.

Nurse-to-nurse note: Do not argue. Do not guess. Do not overexplain. Do not fill awkward silence with a 45-minute director's cut of your shift. Ask for a rep and wait.

Contact a Delegate →
§ 07

Albany Watch

Nursing. Labor. Law. Politics.

Albany Watch tracks NYS nursing legislation, staffing laws, workplace violence protections, mandatory overtime issues, scope of practice updates, and labor-related political developments.

01

New York Hospital Staffing Law

New York requires general hospitals to maintain clinical staffing committees and staffing plans. Staffing plans address staffing by patient care unit and shift, including staffing grids, ratios, or matrices. Nurses should care because staffing laws only work when nurses know the plan, document variations, and create a record.

02

Mandatory Overtime Protections

New York law restricts mandatory overtime for nurses except under limited circumstances. Routine staffing shortages should not automatically become mandation.

03

Workplace Violence Prevention

New York requires general hospitals and nursing homes to establish workplace violence prevention programs. Workplace violence is not “part of the job.” It is a safety hazard.

04

Nurse Licensure Compact / Workforce Bills

Track proposals affecting nurse licensure, staffing, recruitment, retention, and scope of practice. Nurses should ask how these changes affect staffing, wages, accountability, and patient safety.

Albany Watch does not endorse political candidates. This section is educational and issue-focused.

§ 08

Dear Nurse Next Door

Anonymous advice from a fellow bedside nurse.

Write in: editor@nypcwanurses.com

Dear Nurse Next Door —

What should I do when I'm given an assignment that feels unsafe, but everyone tells me, "This is just how it is"? I don't want to seem difficult, but I also don't want to risk my license or my patients.

First, trust the little alarm bell.

You know — the one that starts ringing right around the time someone says, "It should be fine," while handing you an assignment built like a group project nobody supervised.

If an assignment feels unsafe, that does not mean you are dramatic. It may mean your clinical judgment is doing exactly what it is supposed to do: noticing risk before something bad happens.

Stay calm, factual, and painfully professional. Do not make it about personalities. Make it about conditions.

Ask yourself what specifically makes the assignment unsafe: patient count, acuity, lack of support staff, no sitter, no break coverage, charge nurse in assignment, floating without proper orientation, too many admissions or discharges, or high acuity not reflected in staffing.

Then document it. Use the Safe Staffing Report. Notify the appropriate charge nurse, manager, or supervisor. Contact your delegate. Use POA Intake when you need delegate follow-up.

A bad shift is easy to dismiss when it stays trapped in the group chat. A documented pattern is much harder to ignore.

Suggested phrase: "I have a patient safety concern about this assignment due to acuity and available support. I am going to document the concern and notify the appropriate person."

You are not being difficult by raising a safety concern. You are being a nurse.

— The Nurse Next Door

Dear Nurse Next Door offers peer support and general guidance. It is not legal advice, HR advice, mental health treatment, or formal grievance guidance. For discipline, investigatory meetings, grievances, unsafe assignments, or urgent workplace concerns, contact a delegate.

§ 09

Bedside Ballot

Cast your vote. Spill the tea. Shape the shift.

What is the biggest issue affecting your unit right now?
Issue #1 Poll · One vote per device
Click an option to vote. One vote per device.
RN
★ Nurse of the Month ★

First honoree coming soon.

Lift up a coworker. Tell us why.

Nominate a nurse who supports coworkers, advocates for patients, precepts with patience, keeps the unit from falling into complete nonsense, or simply makes hard shifts more bearable.

Nominate a Nurse →

Got a story, tip, question, photo, poll idea, or nomination?

Send it in →