Simmering tensions built up during the four-week-long NYC nurses strike began to boil on Thursday when more than a dozen caretakers were arrested for refusing to leave the Midtown headquarters of a major hospital trade association.
Striking nurses defied the NYPD’s repeated requests to clear the entrance of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) at 555 West 57th St. on Feb. 5, leading to the arrests of at least 15 people. The GNYHA, which has been critical of the nurses strike impacting Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore hospitals, advocates for more than 280 hospitals and medical centers in the tri-state area.
The disruptive incident occurred on Day 25 of the longest nurses’ strike in NYC history. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the union representing the 15,000 striking nurses, called Thursday a “day of action,” as they gathered with labor and community leaders from the New York State AFL-CIO and NAACP outside the hospital in recognition of Black History Month.
Officers at the scene told the nurses that they were obstructing pedestrian traffic at the building’s entrance and needed to move. The nurses, with arms embraced, formed a line and refused to budge.
They chanted slogans such as “union power” and “we got the power” as officers, including those from the department’s Strategic Response Group, moved in to make the arrests.
“We are here in front of the Greater New York Hospital Association, demanding that these greedy hospital executives stop putting patients and nurses over profits that they come and bargain in good faith and give us the fair contract that we deserve,” one nurse said before the arrests took place.
The nurses have been on the picket lines of Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian, and Montefiore almost every day since Jan. 12 seeking higher pay, safe staffing standards, and stronger protections against workplace safety. Their contract expired on Dec. 31.
NYSNA and the hospitals reached tentative agreements on Wednesday on artificial intelligence protections. They also reached tentative agreements on health benefits at Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian.
Still, more needs to improve, the nurses said.
“While we’ve made progress, our hospitals are not doing enough to keep nurses safe from Workplace Violence,” Espinosa said. “Nurses get punched, kicked, scratched and injured on the job while we care for vulnerable people and patients in distress. We are asking for common-sense protections from violence so that we can safely care for our patients.”
Talks between NYSNA and hospital management are continuing at the Javits Center. The nurses said on Thursday that they will continue to picket at all hospital locations until a contract deal is made.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
