As they learned about the latest treatment protocols and other workplace issues at their annual union conference, Federation of Nurses/UFT members vowed they would continue fighting to make the state enforce the landmark 2021 safe staffing law and hold hospitals accountable.

Nurses strive to provide optimal care and dignity for all patients, but they are faced with the challenges of corporate health care, the primacy of profits and short staffing by management, UFT Vice President Anne Goldman, the head of the Federation of Nurses/UFT, said at the Nov. 17 conference at union headquarters in Manhattan.

“There is no excuse for what is going on,” she said. “People are charged the full amount of money for care they’re not getting, and people are charged for equipment we’re not using.”

UFT President Michael Mulgrew hailed Federation of Nurses/UFT members at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn for filing hundreds of complaints alleging violations of the safe staffing law that have overwhelmed the state Department of Health. The health care industry lost the battle to block the law’s passage, he said, but it continues to work to weaken it. He vowed that the union will fight to make sure the law is enforced.

“We are going to make them change their behaviors,” he said. “And that’s what unions are about.”

Kelly Nedrow, the senior director for health issues at the American Federation of Teachers, detailed the AFT’s nationwide “Code Red: Understaffing = Patient Care Crisis” campaign to secure safe staff-patient ratios and other protections to improve patient care. Recruitment and retention are a key part of the initiative, she said, since there will be a shortage of more than 4 million health care workers in the coming years.

The campaign is a call to action, Nedrow said, urging nurses to get involved by attending a rally or lobby day or taking other actions. “It’s not enough to quietly support your union leaders anymore,” she said. “We need every one of your colleagues to be involved.”

During the daylong conference, nurses attended workshops on workplace deescalation techniques, social media best practices, self-care, trends in pulmonary care and heart failure. They also heard from Federation of Nurses/UFT leaders at different sites about their successes and challenges.

Bevin Sullivan, the Staten Island University Hospital South chapter leader, described her personal trajectory from a new nurse who was being bullied to someone who found her voice and became a union delegate and then a chapter leader.

Sullivan spoke about the importance of having union representation at her hospital. “We do a lot for our nurses every day,” she said. “I’m a voice for them on a daily basis.”

Donna Jones, a VNS Health nurse and union representative who was attending the conference for the first time, said she felt a camaraderie with fellow nurses from other work sites.

Jones said the congestive heart failure workshop was enlightening. What she learned about the four pillars of heart failure therapy will help in her patient care. “I can advocate for the patient,” she said. “It was great.”

Sonia Williams, an NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn emergency room nurse, said she was glad the union was tackling the short-staffing issue because there is so much work for nurses to do and so little time. She said her shift starts at 7 a.m., and she may not take a meal break until 2 p.m. because she cannot leave patients without coverage.

“Every day is exhausting,” Williams said. “It’s tough.”