ALBANY, N.Y. -- It was a warm welcome for the newest nurses to join the New York State Nurses Association.

"At Albany Med, nurses face lower pay, longer hours, and unfair practices," said NYSNA Executive Director Jill Fruillo.

But nurses at Albany Medical Center say that won’t be the case soon, as they voted to unionize last week.

"It’s about making sure that our patients are getting safe, effective care, and you really can’t do that without having appropriate staffing," said Albany Med registered nurse Mara Neary.

On Friday, the nurses joined other union members to celebrate the victory with a rally and speech from Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"It was a tough fight," the governor said. "It was an uphill battle, but labor came together, and when labor comes together, labor wins, and you led the way."

As nurses worked toward unionizing, Governor Cuomo announced an investigation into whether administrators at Albany Med were coercing nurses into voting no. He says he fully supports union workers.

"Shared success is the greatest success, and this nation has always done best by raising everyone, not just some," Cuomo said.

"The truth is, we’re all in the same fight, despite what our profession is," Neary said.

Neary and her fellow nurses are looking forward to being part of the union movement.

"This is about making sure that we are providing safe, effective patient care," she said, "and that we are getting the wages and benefits that we are entitled to."

As long as Albany Medical Center does not reject their vote to unionize, it will become official on Monday. Then the nurses move forward with negotiations.