NYSNA strike update: Thousands threaten to walk off the job as early as Monday
NEW YORK - Thousands of nurses at several New York City hospitals are threatening to strike, as contract negotiations stall at some of the city’s largest private medical centers.
What we know:
More than 16,700 nurses at seven private hospitals could walk off the job as early as Monday Jan. 12, according to the New York State Nurses Association, after contracts expired Dec. 31 and talks remain unresolved over pay, benefits and staffing levels.
Why is there a nurses' strike?
Nurses rally during a strike outside the Montefiore Moses campus in Norwood, the Bronx in January 2023. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The union issued 10-day strike notices Friday. Initially, about 20,000 nurses at 12 hospitals were poised to strike, but that number dropped after tentative agreements were reached at five safety-net hospitals in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Hospitals that could see a strike
Hospitals where nurses could still strike include Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai hospitals, NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center, Brooklyn Hospital, BronxCare Health System and Flushing Hospital.
Nurses say they are pushing for higher pay, fully funded health care benefits, enforceable staffing levels and protections against workplace violence, arguing those measures are necessary to ensure patient safety and retain staff.
What they're saying:
Hospital representatives have said nurses are seeking significantly higher raises at a time when many facilities are facing financial strain.
Meanwhile, nurses at five safety-net hospitals rescinded their strike notices after reaching tentative agreements with management during mediated talks. Those hospitals include One Brooklyn Health’s Interfaith Medical Center and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and Richmond University Medical Center.
NYC nurse strike could happen as early as Monday
A protester waves to pedestrians outside Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York, the United States, on Jan. 11, 2023. Thousands of nurses from New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Bronx continued to be on strike the third day on s
While contracts at those facilities have not yet been finalized, the union said the tentative agreements include guarantees that health care benefits for nurses will be fully funded, stronger staffing standards and enforcement, continued pension plans without cuts, protections against workplace violence and measures aimed at safeguarding vulnerable patients.
Nurses at those hospitals are expected to continue bargaining this week with the goal of reaching final agreements by Friday, after which union members would vote on whether to ratify the contracts.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, a nurse at Maimonides Medical Center, said the agreements at safety-net hospitals contrast with negotiations at some of the city’s wealthiest private institutions, which she said are seeking cuts to health care benefits and staffing and have not agreed to workplace violence protections.
NYSNA briefing today
Protesters walk along a street outside Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York, the United States, on Jan. 11, 2023. Thousands of nurses from New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Bronx continued to be on strike the third day on sta
What's next:
The union plans to hold a virtual press briefing Wednesday to provide an update on negotiations at the remaining hospitals.
New York City last saw a major nurses strike in 2023, when thousands walked off the job for three days before reaching a deal.
The Source: This report this based on information from the New York State Nurses Association.