Members of the New York State Nurses Association entered the second day of a strike Jan. 10 at two New York City hospitals: Mount Sinai Medical Center on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
The union represents 7,000 nurses at the two hospitals, who are striking "for fair contracts that improve patient care," according to an NYSNA news release.
As of Jan. 10, the strike is slated to continue as nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai Hospital had not reached tentative deals. Picketing locations are Montefiore Moses, Montefiore Weiler and Montefiore Hutch, all in the Bronx, as well as Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.
The strike comes amid negotiations for a new contract. During negotiations, nurses have expressed concerns about staffing levels and contend that hospitals are not doing enough to keep workers at the bedside in terms of issues such as staffing, pay and benefits.
"Nurses don't want to strike. Bosses have pushed us to strike by refusing to seriously consider our proposals to address the desperate crisis of unsafe staffing that harms our patients," union members said in a news release.
Hospitals say they have been negotiating in good faith to reach a fair contract amid workforce shortages and other challenges.
"The challenges of hiring and growing a talented health care workforce can't be overstated and were exacerbated by the pandemic," Lucia Lee, a spokesperson for Mount Sinai, said, according to The New York Times. She also said the hospital has implemented "unprecedented recruitment strategies" in recent years, according to the newspaper.
In a statement shared with Becker's Jan. 10, Montefiore said: "Montefiore remains at the bargaining table, committed to an equitable agreement that reflects the priorities of our dedicated nurses. Contingency plans remain in place to ensure our hospitals remain open, because Montefiore is, and always will be, here for the Bronx."
The statement adds, "We remain committed to seamless and compassionate care, recognizing that the union leadership's decision will spark fear and uncertainty across our community."
Hospitals have implemented contingency plans to prepare for the strike, including bringing in temporary staff, postponing many elective surgeries and discharging patients as appropriate.
Union members initially delivered 10-day strike notices Dec. 30 at multiple New York City hospitals, including NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, Maimonides Medical Center, BronxCare, Richmond University Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center.
As of Jan. 6, tentative agreements had been reached on behalf of 4,000 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and about 1,300 nurses at Maimonides. A tentative agreement was also reached on behalf of 550 union members at Richmond University Medical Center, Bloomberg reported Jan. 5. As of Jan. 6, Flushing and the union had also reached a tentative deal, affecting about 470 nurses, according to a Jan. 6 union news release. Additionally, nurses at Mount Sinai Morningside and West reached a tentative agreement Jan. 8.
As of Jan. 10, nurses at Maimonides, NewYork-Presbyterian, Flushing, Richmond and BronxCare had approved their new contracts, according to the union.