7,000 nurses at two New York City hospitals on strike as contract negotiations fail

New York
CNN
—

AND walk-out from more more than 7,000 nurses at two major New York hospitals began work on Monday after talks aimed at preventing a strike broke down. down Overnight.

Preliminary deals have been reached in recent days covering nurses in several hospitals, including two new agreements late Sunday evening. But says with Mount Sinai Hospital on Upper East Side in Manhattan and at three locations of Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, failed Overnight.

“Following yesterday’s trading late into the night at Montefiore Hospital and Mount Sinai, no preliminary agreements have been reached. Today, more more than 7,000 nurses in two hospitals on strike for fair contracts that improve patient care,” said the New York State Nursing Association. in announcement on Monday.

hundreds of nurses and assistants were out on picket line in front of Mount Sinai early Monday morning filling two city blocks, with number of the pickets continue to rise throughout the morning. The picket line spilled out on street, sometimes blocking traffic. In Montefiore, picketers chanted “Safe Personnel Saves Lives”. Walkthrough drivers horns blared in both hospitals in supportbringing applause from the pickets.

“We fought for work in a safer environment,” Warren Urquhart, an organ transplant nurse at Mount Sinai, told CNN on Monday. on picket line. “We do best we can every day. There’s something wrong inside the hospital. That’s why we outside hospital.”

Cars honk like they drive past, prompting the nurses to greet and wave signs.

Both hospitals said earlier on On Monday morning, efforts to reach an agreement were unsuccessful.

“NYSNA management went out of negotiations shortly after 1:00 AM ET, refusing to accept the exact same 19.1% pay raise offer agreed to by eight other hospitals, including two other Mount Sinai Health System campuses, and ignoring the governor’s decision avoid strike,” Lucia Li, press secretary for Mount Sinai said in statement to CNN.

Montefiore said it was “a sad day for New York.”

“Despite Montefiore’s proposal of a 19.1% pay increase — the same offer the wealthiest agreed to of our fellow institutions — and the commitment to create over 170 new nursing positions … NYSNA leadership made a decision walk away from beds of their patients,” the medical center said. in statement.

Although union accepted similar promotions at other hospitals, she stated that her main complaint at Mount Sinai and Montefiore was that nurses were overworked and facing burnout after three years of working on on the front lines fighting the pandemic. They say hours and stress of have too many patients to care for for drives away the nurses and creating growing crisis in staffing and patient care.

“We need management to sit down at the negotiating table and ensure better staffing,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans. in press call Sunday afternoon.

union insists it’s amazing in attempt to improve patient care.

“Going to the hospital to get the care you need Does NOT cross our strike line. The patients should Seek immediate medical attention at a hospital if they need this, he said in statement. “We would have preferred to be the ones providing that care, but our bosses pushed us to be out here instead”.

There are 760 nursing vacancies in Montefiore, Hagans said, adding that “too often one nurse in emergency room responsible for 20 patients instead of in standard of three patients.

On Sunday evening, New York Gov. Katie Hochul called on leadership and union agree to binding arbitration as way of avoid a strike. Although the leadership of both hospitals picked up on the idea, union not.

“We will not give up on our fight to ensure that our patients have enough nurses at the bedside.” union said in response to Hohul’s arbitration offer.

But the hospitals attacked the unions decision reject the arbitration offer and leave on strike instead and called on nurses refuse to strike and stay on Job.

“NYSNA continues its reckless behavior. The Governor’s proposal would provide path to avoid strike,” Mount Sinai said. in announcement on Monday. “Our first priority is safety of our patients. We are committed to minimizing disruption and encourage Mount Sinai nurses to continue providing world-the class of care they are known for for, in despite of NYSNA strike.

Hospitals are getting ready for nurses’ strike union notified of this is plans 10 days ago. Plan of affected hospitals on payment for temporary “travelling” nurses to fill in where possible and some had already began to transport the sick. A Mount Sinai spokesman said on Monday that this has brought in “hundreds” of traveling nurses and some of non-medical hospital staff were redeployed. There are 3600 nurses in in union at Mount Sinai.

Montefiore released a notice to staff obtained by CNN informing nurses. how quit union and stay on job if they wanted keep caring for their patients.

Mount Sinai, which operates two hospitals, closed the deals Sunday night. in addition to one still facing strike, began to transfer babies in neonatal intensive care unit at the end of this is past a week. Hospitals facing possibility of strikes already taken steps postpone some electoral procedures.

union says hospitals will spend more on hiring temporary nurses at a significantly higher cost. He claims that hospitals should agree to their employment requirements more employees and provide promotions union looking for.

“As nurses, we care most about patient safetyHagans said. in statement on Friday. “However, the nurses…were forced work without enough staff stretched to the limit, sometimes with one nurse in emergency department responsible for 20 patients. It is not safe for nurses or our patients.”

Hospitals say they are doing their best to hire more medical staff.

“Mount Sinai is alarmed by the reckless actions of the NYSNA,” Mount Sinai said in a statement. in statement on Friday. ” union compromises patient care and forces respected Mount Sinai nurses to choose between their dedication to patient care and own livelihood”.

nurses in first The hospital to reach the preliminary deal, New York-Presbyterian, has ratified this agreement. in a result announced through union on Saturday. It was close call with 57% of nurses voted yes and 43% against. Preliminary deals reached over in last some more days need be ratified by the rank and file union members before they can accept effect.

Steel strikes more common throughout the country as tight labor markets and discontent with work conditions prompted unionized employees to flex their muscles more often at the negotiating table.

There were 385 strikes. in 2022, up 42% of 270 in 2021, according to Cornell University School. of industrial and labor relations. The US Department of Labor, which only tracks major strikes per 1,000 or more workers recorded 20 strikes in in first 11 months of 2022, up 33% over the same period in 2021.

Among the reported cases were numerous strikes by nurses. work stops, with many conjunctions refer to examples of burnout and health problems among the members.

Four out of 20 strikes reported by the Department of Labor last year unions of nurses are involved. The largest was a three-day strike of 15,000 participants. of Minnesota Nursing Association, with 13 hospitals in state.

– CNN’s Tami Luhbi, Tina Burnside, Artemis Moshtagian and Ramishah Marouf contributed to this report.