1000’s of nurses in three hospital methods in New York Metropolis went on strike Monday after negotiations by way of the weekend did not yield breakthroughs of their contract disputes.
The strike was going down at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite tv for pc campuses, with picket traces forming. The opposite affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Middle within the Bronx.
About 15,000 nurses are concerned within the strike, in line with the New York State Nurses Affiliation.
The strike, which comes throughout a extreme flu season, may probably power the hospitals to switch sufferers, cancel procedures, or divert ambulances. It may additionally put a pressure on metropolis hospitals not concerned within the contract dispute, as sufferers keep away from the medical facilities hit by the strike.
The hospitals concerned have been hiring non permanent nurses to attempt to fill the labor hole throughout the walkout, and stated in a press release throughout negotiations that they might “do no matter is important to reduce disruptions.”
Montefiore posted a message assuring sufferers that appointments could be saved.
“NYSNA’s leaders proceed to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless calls for, together with practically 40% wage will increase, and their troubling proposals like demanding {that a} nurse not be terminated if discovered to be compromised by medicine or alcohol whereas on the job,” Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese stated Monday after the strike had began. “We stay resolute in our dedication to offering protected and seamless care, no matter how lengthy the strike could final.”
New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” however stated in a press release that it has taken steps to make sure sufferers obtain the care they want.
“We’re able to hold negotiating a good and cheap contract that displays our respect for our nurses and the essential function they play, and in addition acknowledges the difficult realities of right this moment’s healthcare surroundings,” the assertion stated.
The work stoppage is happening at a number of hospitals concurrently, however every medical middle is negotiating with the union independently. A number of different hospitals throughout town and in its suburbs reached offers in current days to avert a potential strike.
The nurses’ calls for fluctuate by hospital, however the main points embrace staffing ranges and office security. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.
Nurses additionally need higher safety measures within the office, citing incidents like an incident final week, when a person with a pointy object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.
The union additionally desires limitations on hospitals’ use of synthetic intelligence.
The nonprofit hospitals concerned within the negotiations say they’ve been working to enhance staffing ranges, however say the union’s calls for general are too expensive.
Nurses voted to authorize the strike final month.
Each New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the potential for the strike.
Because the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged either side to maintain negotiating and attain a deal that “each honors our nurses and retains our hospitals open.”
“Our nurses saved this metropolis alive by way of its hardest moments. Their worth isn’t negotiable,” Mamdani stated.
State Legal professional Basic Letitia James voiced related help, saying, “nurses put their lives on the road day-after-day to maintain New Yorkers wholesome. They need to by no means be compelled to decide on between their very own security, their sufferers’ well-being, and a good contract.”
The final main nursing strike within the metropolis was solely three years in the past, in 2023.
That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was brief, lasting three days.
It resulted in a deal elevating pay 19% over three years at these hospitals.
It additionally led to promised staffing enhancements, although the union and hospitals now disagree about how a lot progress has been made, or whether or not the hospitals are retreating from staffing ensures.
