1/3
Jan. 9 (UPI) — More than 7,000 nurses at hospitals in New York City began a strike over contracts Monday as some picketed outside of the hospitals where they work.
Nurses with the New York State Nurses Association, a union that represents more than 42,000 nurses in the state, demonstrated outside of four hospitals including Mount Sinai Hospital at Madison and E. 99th Street in Manhattan as well as three Montefiore campuses in the Bronx.
The nursing union has received backing in the strike from city and state officials including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Council Member Gale Brewer, according to a news release.
Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement late Sunday asking for a “fair labor agreement” with the nurses and to “ensure they have safe working conditions.”
“For weeks now, we have been working tirelessly with our partners in New York City to broker negotiations between the nurses and affected hospitals and our efforts have achieved significant progress,” Hochul said in the statement.
Hochul said that strikes have been averted at New York Presbyterian, Richmond University Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center.
“Yet there remain outstanding issues at Montefiore and Mount Sinai and I am now calling for binding arbitration so that all parties can swiftly reach a resolution,” Hochul said.
Strikes were also expected at the Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside hospitals but those strike notices were rescinded by the union after it reached tentative agreements that are subject to ratification, according to the union.
The agreement reached Sunday includes a 19.1% wage increase that has already been ratified by New York Presbyterian and the Maimonides Medical Center.
Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, said in a statement that the nurses have been “put in the unfortunate position of having no other choice than to strike.”
“The hospitals treatment of these nurses is proof that all their words of adulation for their healthcare heroes during the pandemic were hollow,” Cilento said.
“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.”
