“Enough Is Enough”: Hospital Workers Picket Across Hudson Valley Today

More than 2,000 Hudson Valley healthcare workers are stepping outside and speaking up.

Staff at three local hospitals are set to hold coordinated pickets Wednesday afternoon, calling out what they say are "broken promises, stalled negotiations, and unequal retirement benefits."

Nurses will be outside of Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Northern Dutchess Hospital, and Putnam Hospital Center from 2 to 4 p.m. today, March 18.

The group, represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, says workers at Northern Dutchess are being denied the same pension benefits as others in the Northwell system. Meanwhile, employees at Vassar Brothers and Putnam claim ongoing issues with contract enforcement haven’t been resolved.

We’re talking nurses, aides, techs, food service, housekeeping—the people who keep these hospitals running every single day.

Union leaders say negotiations at Northern Dutchess have dragged on for months, while unresolved grievances continue to pile up at Vassar Brothers.

Now, they’re taking it public.

Recent Nursing Union Negotiation Pushes

On January 12, 2026 thousands of 1199 members from across New York State gathered in Albany, at the State Capitol.

One week later, on Jan. 20, New York Governor Kathy Hochul pledged $1.325 billion in new state investments "to shore up safety net hospitals, nursing homes and benefits for home care members."

But 1199SEIU says they will continue to push for the full $2 billion in additional funding that is necessary to stabilize the healthcare industry.