Day three of what is likely the largest nurses’ strike in NYC history continued on Wednesday as major hospitals poured in more funding for patient care while thousands of caretakers stayed strong on the picket line.
Nearly 15,000 nurses from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), who walked off the job on Monday morning, began picketing for the third day in a row on Jan. 14, holding signs that read “Nurses Care for New York” and “Hospital Execs Literally Make Us Sick.”
The nurses are striking for better pay, more staff and improved workplace protections. Talks with management remain stalled.
With nurses off the job, the affected hospitals — Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian in Manhattan and Montefiore in the Bronx — have managed to maintain care by adding more funding and staff to fill the void left by the nurses.
Mount Sinai leadership said it has “successfully” managed a 25% higher-than-normal patient registration in its emergency department because it has additional funding in place to help maintain its 1,400 temporary care staff.
“We have now committed significant additional funds to maintain our qualified and specialized agency nurses so that we can continue to be prepared to provide safe patient care at least through next week as the strike continues,” a spokesperson said.
The NYS Health Department has added staff on-site at all three hospitals, and they will be present throughout the strike.
Since Jan. 12, the first day of the walk-out, a significant number of nurses have been crossing the picket line to clock in and make their rounds.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Mount Sinai nurses who have continued to come to work and not participate in NYSNA’s strike,” the spokesperson said. “We had 20% of our scheduled nurses come to work on Monday and put our patients first, and so far today, we have seen similar numbers, hundreds of nurses who have joined their teams at the bedside.”
According to the hospital spokesperson, Mount Sinai nurses put an offer on the table that would raise the average nurse pay to nearly $250,000 before factoring in benefits funding; that salary at Montefiore would be $220,000 by 2028, per a hospital spokesperson.
amNewYork contacted NewYork-Presbyterian to inquire about salary requests and is awaiting a response.
However, the nurses have stated that their demands extend beyond just wages. NYSNA representatives maintain that safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses and workplace protections are their key priorities.
At Montefiore in the Bronx, the nurses’ union alleged on Wednesday that the hospital has “routinely prioritized its image over its nurses and patients.” NYSNA claims the hospital spent over $75 million in 2023 on advertising and promotion.
Nancy Hagans, RN., president of NYSNA, said the hospital needs to “stop the lies and attacks” and instead bargain a fair contract with the nurses.
“Montefiore’s attempts to slander and disrespect their nurses shows how low they are willing to go to avoid settling fair contracts that protect Bronx patients and nurses,” Hagans said. “Instead of addressing our proposals to make Montefiore a safe place for patients and nurses, they have waged outrageous PR campaigns.”
The hospital, in the meantime, said it remains resolute in “providing safe and seamless care” regardless of the strike’s duration.
“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job,” a Montefiore spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, there has been little negotiating going on since the strike started, both management and the union reported. The nurses’ contract expired on Dec. 31.
