NewYork-Presbyterian nurses return to work, ending 41-day historic strike
NYC nurses return to work ending longest strike in history
The walkout, which began Jan. 12 and lasted 41 days, involved approximately 15,000 nurses at its peak across NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore Medical Center and the Mount Sinai system.
Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian returned to work Thursday after voting to ratify a new three-year contract, bringing an end to the city's largest and longest nurses strike.
What we know:
Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai reached agreements earlier this month, while NewYork-Presbyterian nurses remained on strike until approving their deal over the weekend.
What's in the contract?
The New York State Nurses Association said the contract includes enforceable safe staffing standards, protections against workplace violence, preserved health benefits and salary increases of more than 12% over three years. The agreement also includes new language addressing the use of artificial intelligence in hospital settings.
Union leaders declare victory
Nurses of the New York State Nurses Association attend a press conference on the Covid-19 public health crisis engulfing Jacobi Medical Center and other New York health hospital facilities on January 13, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS
Union leaders called the outcome a victory for patient care and frontline health workers.
"We said from the beginning that we would not stop fighting until we achieved what our communities deserve," NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said in a statement, describing the strike as a turning point for nurse and patient safety protections.
NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane said nurses took on some of the city’s largest private employers and secured agreements that set new industry standards.
A NewYork-Presbyterian nurse, Beth Loudin, said union members were proud of their unity during the strike and eager to return to caring for patients.
NYC nurses strike
The backstory:
The strike followed months of negotiations that began in September. More than 20,000 nurses at 12 private-sector hospitals participated in a coordinated contract campaign, with four major hospital systems ultimately going on strike in January.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 09: Nurses from Mount Sinai Hospital strike outside the hospital on January 09, 2023 in the Upper East Side neighborhood of New York City. Thousands of nurses from Mount Sinai’s main hospital and at three locations of the
During the walkout, nurses picketed outside multiple hospital campuses in harsh winter conditions while hospitals relied on temporary staff to maintain operations.
The contracts reached across the hospital systems include commitments to improve staffing levels, maintain existing health benefits without additional out-of-pocket costs, strengthen workplace violence protections and provide wage increases aimed at recruiting and retaining nurses.
With NewYork-Presbyterian nurses back on the job, the ratification vote marks the official end of a strike that reshaped labor negotiations in New York City’s health care industry.
The Source: This report is based on information from the NYSNA and NewYork-Presbyterian.