Page 8 - Work Force October 2025

Nassau University Medical Center Unit forms own CSEA local
EAST MEADOW — Under the leadership of CSEA President Mary
E. Sullivan, CSEA’s Nassau University Medical Center [NUMC] Unit recently became its own union local.
The decision to transform the unit into a local was a logical move because the hospital became
a public benefit corporation in September 1999 and operates under its own contract.
Now known as CSEA Nassau University Medical Center Local
831, the new local encompasses the hospital, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility and Nassau County Jail.
“This change gives our NUMC members a stronger, more unified voice in the workplace,” said Sullivan. “By becoming their own local, they are taking ownership of their future, and that’s what union power is all about.”
“The process was able to move quickly because we had President Sullivan’s full endorsement,” said CSEA Nassau University Medical Center Local 831 President Shakira Settles. “The members of the NUMC Local Board work in the hospital. We know what members working here need because those are our needs, too.”
Also giving her full support is Gov. Kathy Hochul. Earlier this year, the governor took crucial
Hundreds of NUMC Local 831 members attend
a series of meetings where they were introduced to their new local and unit officers.
steps to stabilize the hospital’s finances and restructure its board. Hochul appointed key experienced professionals to the NUMC Board who have proven that they are capable and willing to work with the community and CSEA.
Local officers will be working closely with our union’s A. Holly Patterson Unit officers, who recently joined the local board for a series
of meetings to update members about their work location’s new status in CSEA.
The group also joined forces for the CSEA Long Island Region’s recent Member Engagement Blitz, visiting local members at their homes to discuss the decision to become their own local and how the move will positively affect members.
It helps that several members of the NUMC Local Board are former employees of A. Holly Patterson, so they understand the worksite and some of the workers. Unit officers will be training at the NUMC Local office to add uniformity to the way the local and unit boards conduct business and process important documents.
“The plan is for the local to be a support to the A. Holly Patterson Unit, who is in the capable hands of their president [Melody Foskey Easterling],” said Settles. “She will
take the lead there and we will come together for member meetings when there is a larger issue affecting the entire local.”
For the future, the new local and unit leaders are looking forward to continuing their member engagement efforts.
HIPAA restrictions prevent local officers from walking the floors of the hospital and nursing home to speak with members. As an alternative, local officers will set up a table outside of the NUMC cafeteria where they will hand out CSEA giveaways and speak with members about union issues. They will be repeating these efforts with the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility Unit officers in front of their unit office, along with extended office hours for both groups of members.
Additionally, local officers are aiming to strengthen their shop steward network by identifying members that want to be a voice for their work area.
Even though NUMC becoming a local is a major change, the officers’ consistency will stay the same.
“We’ll continue to do the best job that we can for our members,” said Settles. “We’re looking forward to this journey. Officers and members will progress together.”
— Wendi Bowie
CSEA NUMC Local 831 President Shakira Settles leads a member meeting at A. Holly Patterson about the unit’s change in local status.
8 The Work Force
October 2025
CSEA A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility Unit President Melody Foskey Easterling drops literature at a member’s home during our union’s recent member engagement visit.