The New York State Nurses Association delivered 10-day strike notices Jan. 2 to 12 hospitals in New York City.
Here are seven things to know:
1. If agreements are not reached, as many as 20,000 nurses could strike Jan. 12. This would mark the largest nurse strike in city history, according to a Jan. 2 union news release.
2. The notices followed the expiration of union contracts on Dec. 31. Nurses voted Dec. 22 to authorize a strike.
3. The union is seeking contracts that guarantee healthcare benefits, safe staffing standards and protections from workplace violence.
“Management is refusing to guarantee our healthcare benefits and trying to roll back the safe staffing standards we fought for and won,” NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, BSN, RN, said in the release. “We have been bargaining for months, but hospitals have not done nearly enough to settle fair contracts that protect patient care. Striking is always a last resort; however, nurses will not stop until we win contracts that deliver patient and nurse safety. The future of care in this city is far too important to compromise on our values as nurses.”
4. The following hospitals in New York City received strike notices:
- BronxCare Health System
- The Brooklyn Hospital Center
- Flushing Hospital Medical Center
- Interfaith Medical Center / One Brooklyn Health
- Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center / One Brooklyn Health
- Maimonides Medical Center
- Montefiore Medical Center
- Mount Sinai Hospital
- Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West
- NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center
- Richmond University Medical Center
- Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
5. Union members also voted to authorize a strike three years ago, with about 7,000 nurses at two hospitals walking off the job in January 2023. The union represents 42,000 members across New York and is affiliated with National Nurses United, which has more than 225,000 members nationwide.
6. One Brooklyn Health CEO Sandra Scott, MD, said in a Jan. 2 LinkedIn post that the system is taking proactive steps to ensure uninterrupted patient care, including contingency plans for additional staffing support and training.
“We deeply value our nurses and the essential role they play in caring for our patients,” Dr. Scott said. “We are committed to reaching a fair and sustainable resolution that supports our staff while ensuring continued access to the healthcare services our communities depend on.”
7. The following hospitals shared Jan. 2 statements with Becker’s in response to the strike notice:
- A Maimonides spokesperson said the system is preparing to hire contract nurses and redeploy staff to ensure high-quality care. “Our nurses are critical to our success at Maimonides,” the spokesperson said. “We remain hopeful that we can avoid a strike and negotiate a fair contract that rewards nurses for their important work and recognizes the increasingly difficult financial challenges that we and other hospitals face.”
- A Montefiore spokesperson said union leaders have presented the hospital with demands that would cost $3.6 billion over the length of the contract’s duration. “Additionally, NYSNA leadership’s demands will clearly impact patient safety, like nurses not being terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job, and taking issue with our reasonable effort to roll out panic buttons for frontline staff in the emergency department,” the spokesperson said. “While Montefiore will continue to bargain in good faith, we are preparing for what we anticipate could be a multi-week strike.”
- A Mount Sinai spokesperson said it is continuing to work in good faith toward an agreement but is prepared for any outcome to maintain high-quality patient care. “NYSNA has acknowledged that federal funding cuts will cost New York hospitals $8 billion and 35,000 jobs, but just three years after its last strike the union is showing once again it is willing to use patients as bargaining chips this time while pushing billions of dollars in economic demands that would compromise the financial health of our entire system and threaten the financial stability of hospitals across New York City,” the spokesperson said.
- A NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson said the system is taking necessary steps to ensure safe patient care. “We have proposed significant wage increases that keep our nurses among the highest paid in the region, enhancements to their already outstanding benefits, and new strategies that demonstrate our shared commitment to safe staffing,” the spokesperson said. “So far, NYSNA hasn’t moved off from its unrealistic demand of nearly 30% wage increases over three years. Collective bargaining requires compromise from both parties in order to reach an agreement.”
- A Richmond University Medical Center spokesperson said the hospital is committed to negotiating in good faith. “While discussions are ongoing, we cannot comment on specific details,” the spokesperson said. “We want to emphasize that we deeply value and appreciate our nurses for the exceptional care they provide to our patients and community every day.”
Becker’s has reached out to all 12 hospitals and will update this story if more information becomes available.
