Over 7,000 nurses go on strike at two large hospitals in New York City

More than 7,000 nurses at two large hospitals in New York City have gone on strike after negotiations over working conditions, salaries and staffing policies failed to yield an agreement. 

After failing to reach an agreement during late-night negotiations on Sunday, the New York State Nurses Association announced early Monday that nurses were on strike at two hospitals.

As many as 3,500 nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and about 3,600 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan walks out early Monday.

Union officials said they were fighting for pay raises to keep up with the inflation.

The association said it was being forced into the step because of chronic understaffing that has left them caring for too many patients.

“It is time for the hospitals to treat these nurses fairly, with the dignity and respect they deserve, to ensure nurses can get back to serving their communities by providing superior care to their patients,” Mario Cilento, the president of the New York State A.F.L.-C.I.O. said in a statement on Monday.

Striking nurses gathered outside the two hospitals Monday, chanting slogans and waving signs such as, “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

“We were heroes only two years ago,” said a nurse, referring to the height of the COVID-19 crisis. “We was on the front lines of the city when everything came to a stop. And now we need to come to a stop so they can understand how much we mean to this hospital and to the patients.”

Nurses’ contracts expired on Dec. 31 at a dozen private hospitals in the city. In recent days, the union reached tentative contract agreements with most of the hospitals in the city.

Montefiore and Mount Sinai are the last of a group of hospitals with contracts with the union that expired simultaneously.

Mount Sinai’s administration said the union ignored “the progress we have made to attract and hire more new nurses.”

In the meantime, both medical centers rushed to bring in temporary staff and continue operations, even pressing doctors into service to fill nursing shortages.

Both hospitals also planned to assign managers and others not represented by the union to cover the shifts of striking workers.

“We’re prepared to minimize disruption, and we encourage Mount Sinai nurses to continue providing the world-class care they’re known for, in spite of NYSNA’s strike,” said Mount Sinai officials.

The union said that the main sticking point at both hospitals was adequate enforcement mechanisms to ensure safe staffing levels were honored.

No bargaining sessions were scheduled for Monday at this point, but the nurses were ready to return to the table, the union said.

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