Registered nurses at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, New York reached a tentative contract agreement with Catholic Health on July 8, 2026, narrowly avoiding a strike that could have disrupted care at the 300-bed Long Island community hospital. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) announced the tentative deal hours before a threatened work stoppage deadline, following several days of intensified negotiations facilitated by a federal mediator.

Details of the Tentative Agreement

NYSNA described the tentative agreement as a multi-year contract with wage improvements and commitments on nurse staffing levels, though full contract terms were withheld pending member ratification. The union had been bargaining with Catholic Health — one of Long Island’s largest nonprofit health systems — since early spring, with negotiations accelerating after the prior contract expired June 30.

St. Charles Hospital employs approximately 380 RNs represented by NYSNA. The hospital operates as part of Catholic Health’s Long Island network alongside Good Samaritan University Hospital (West Islip), St. Catherine of Siena Hospital (Smithtown), and Mercy Medical Center (Rockville Centre). The Catholic Health system has faced ongoing workforce pressures common to many Long Island providers, including competition for nursing staff from larger metro-area health systems and the high cost of living in Suffolk County.

What Drove Nurses to the Brink

NYSNA members at St. Charles cited staffing ratios, mandatory overtime, and wage parity with comparable Long Island facilities as the key unresolved issues entering the final weeks of negotiations. New York enacted landmark nurse staffing ratio legislation in 2021, with phased implementation that took full effect for acute care hospitals in 2024. The law sets maximums for nurse-to-patient assignments by unit type — for example, 1:3 in ICUs and 1:5 in medical-surgical — and includes anti-retaliation provisions for nurses who report violations.

Despite the law’s existence, NYSNA has continued to press for stronger contractual language at individual facilities, particularly around charge nurse workloads and the use of float nurses to cover unit shortages. Nurses at St. Charles and other Catholic Health facilities have also raised concerns about the system’s reliance on per diem and agency staff as a cost-avoidance mechanism that shifts burden to permanent staff.

Catholic Health Labor Relations Context

The St. Charles deal follows a pattern at Catholic Health that has seen contract disputes resolved — often at the eleventh hour — without a full work stoppage. Catholic Health’s Good Samaritan Hospital narrowly averted a strike in October 2025, and NYSNA nurses at Mercy Medical Center reached an agreement in early 2026 after a brief informational picket. Labor relations experts note that faith-based health systems occupy a complex position in labor disputes: the Catholic social teaching tradition that underlies their missions emphasizes worker dignity, but institutional financial constraints — particularly in a market where large commercial systems like Northwell Health have growing economies of scale — create pressure to limit labor cost growth.

Catholic Health CEO Patrick O’Shaughnessy released a statement calling the tentative agreement “a reflection of our commitment to the nurses and caregivers who are the heart of our mission” and expressing confidence in ratification.

What Nurses Are Watching for in Ratification

NYSNA bargaining committees typically release a full summary to members before scheduling a ratification vote, which usually takes place within 10–14 days of a tentative agreement. Members will scrutinize the wage schedule against the area’s rising cost of living — Suffolk County median home prices have risen more than 30% since 2020, putting pressure on nurses whose salaries have not kept pace with housing costs — as well as any binding ratio or staffing committee provisions beyond what state law already requires.

The outcome at St. Charles will be watched by NYSNA bargaining units at other New York health systems currently in negotiations, particularly as the nursing labor market on Long Island remains tight and the state’s ratio law gives nurses a legal baseline from which to negotiate stronger facility-level protections.

For Nurses Weighing New York Opportunities

Long Island remains one of the most active nursing labor markets in the country. RN median wages in the Nassau-Suffolk metro area run approximately $97,000–$107,000 annually depending on specialty and system, well above the national median. New York’s ratio law, now fully implemented, provides a floor on patient assignments that many nurses in other states lack. For nurses considering relocation or travel assignments, Long Island’s combination of regulatory protections, strong union presence, and above-median compensation makes it a market worth monitoring.