The largest nurses strike in New York City has ended after 41 days, with the final group of striking nurses voting to ratify a contract with NewYork-Presbyterian.
The final group of nurses voted Feb. 21 to ratify a new three-year contract and will begin returning to work the week of Feb. 23, according to a news release from the New York State Nurses Association. The group of approximately 4,200 nurses reached a tentative agreement Feb. 19.
“We are pleased to share that we have a new ratified contract with the New York State Nurses Association and look forward to our nurses’ return to the hospital,” a NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson said in a Feb. 21 statement shared with Becker’s. “The new contract reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play as part of our exceptional care teams.”
Approximately 15,000 nurses went on strike Jan. 12 at Montefiore Health System, Mount Sinai Health System and NewYork-Presbyterian. Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai reached tentative agreements Feb. 9 and ratified them Feb. 11.
The ratified contracts feature salary increases of more than 12% over the three-year deals, improved safe staffing standards, protections to healthcare benefits and safeguards against artificial intelligence. They also include protections from workplace violence and protections for immigrant patients and nurses, the release said.
“We are so happy with the wins we achieved, and now the fight to enforce these contracts and hold our employers accountable begins,” NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, BSN, RN, said in the news release. “NYSNA nurses showed what it means to advocate for patients, and this moment will go down in history as a win for our communities, in the fight for healthcare justice, and for the labor movement.”
