The nurses’ strike marched into its fifth day after getting into negotiations final night time with three main New York Metropolis hospital programs, which refused to fulfill contract calls for of nurses, for the primary time because the strike started on Monday.
The New York State Nurses Affiliation — which represents over 42,000 nurses, 15,000 of that are at present on strike — claimed hospital safety initially turned NYSNA members away however finally allowed 70 members to look at negotiations, which continued previous midnight.
Whereas NYSNA put ahead a revised set of proposals, the union mentioned hospital executives rejected them with out providing a counter proposal.
It mentioned “very little progress” was made in the direction of settling a good contract, however it’s assembly with mediators and administration at Mount Sinai Hospital, as effectively the Morningside and West campuses, as we speak.
“It takes two to negotiate,” mentioned NYSNA President Nancy Hagans. “NYSNA nurses respect the mediators and are ready and willing to come to the bargaining table when they call. We urge hospital executives to do the same. Hospitals are willing to keep frontline nurses out in the cold instead of at the bedsides of our patients where we want to be.”
As negotiations proceed, Mount Sinai mentioned it might proceed to make progress towards getting our hospitals working at full capability. It prolonged its contracts with company nurses and onboarding an extra complement of company nurses targeted on specialty areas to hurry up the method.
Brendan Carr, chief government officer of Mount Sinai, mentioned he met with groups from the hospital’s Finance and Digital and Expertise Companions yesterday, and he plans on assembly with the Human Assets crew as we speak. “These teams have worked incredibly hard to rapidly onboard a large number of new employees over the last few weeks, and although much of their work may not always be visible on the front lines, they are incredibly important to our mission,” he mentioned.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans mentioned if safety-net hospitals have been capable of meet nurses’ contract calls for, the wealthiest hospitals within the metropolis ought to have the ability to, as effectively.Cindy Schultz for New York State Nurses Affiliation
Strike notices have been initially delivered on Jan. 2 after their contract negotiations expired on Dec. 31. Whereas NYSNA rescinded a few of their strike notices after seven safety-net hospitals reached tentative agreements on sure contract calls for — protected staffing, protections towards office violence, and no cuts to healthcare and pensions — the Montefiore, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital programs refused to budge.
“If struggling safety-net hospitals can figure out how to fund our health benefits, safely staff our hospitals and protect nurses from workplace violence, then the richest hospitals can figure it out, too,” Hagans mentioned. “Instead of investing millions in fighting their own nurses, hospital executives need to do the right thing and work with us to improve safety.”
Then again, Mount Sinai claimed union nurses are “harassing” and “intimidating” nurses that cross the picket line and attend their regularly-scheduled shifts.
The hospital mentioned on Tuesday that 20% of nurses confirmed up for work on Monday regardless of the strike, and it has quickly employed 1,400 “qualified and specialized” nurses to switch union nurses all through the strike.
Mount Sinai hospital claimed union nurses have been “intimidating” and “harassing” nurses that crossed their picket line to work their repeatedly scheduled shifts.File picture
Mount Sinai introduced on Tuesday that it terminated three nurses forward of the strike, claiming they have been “interfering with patient safety by deliberately sabotaging our emergency preparedness drills.”
In accordance with the assertion from the hospital, the nurses have been hiding provides from company nurses, who’re engaged on short-term contracts and usually are not a part of the union, whereas they have been coaching.
“Now NYSNA leaders are threatening and intimidating nurses who have decided to join their teams caring for patients,” a Wednesday assertion from Mount Sinai mentioned. “This behavior is unacceptable, and we are offering resources to support nurses who chose to come to work.”
Nonetheless, NYSNA claims the hospitals are slandering the union and mendacity to the media in retaliation of union nurses which can be combating for a good contract. The union denied that the three Mount Sinai nurses, two of whom it famous have been new moms, interfered with any of the journey nurses’ coaching.
“With a looming strike deadline, management tried to scapegoat nurses, citing false claims about their interference with the expensive travel nurses hired to replace them,” an announcement from the union mentioned yesterday. “[The hospitals] have waged war against union nurses; retaliating against nurses, slandering nurses, and even terminating nurses in attempts to intimidate them. NYSNA nurses are demanding that hospital executives reverse the unlawful disciplines and terminations and come back to the bargaining table to make real progress.”
NYSNA has acquired the assist of quite a few labor organizations and elected officers together with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the borough presidents from Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
“Nurses show up in our darkest moments,” Mamdani wrote on X on Monday. “9/11. The pandemic. Every illness and emergency. Their worth is not negotiable. Fair pay, safe conditions, dignity now. NYC stands with nurses and demands good faith bargaining for justice and care for all.”
NYSNA famous that many New Yorkers are dealing with an affordability disaster, however alleged that the wealthiest non-public hospitals charged sufferers practically 4 occasions what it really prices to supply care in 2023.
In accordance with a report by Empire Heart for Public Coverage, evaluation discovered that six of the town’s largest not-for-profit hospital programs — NewYork-Presbyterian, NYU Langone, Northwell, Mount Sinai, Montefiore and Maimonides — charged dramatically extra for widespread procedures than hospitals owned by the town or by main medical facilities in Boston.
Empire Heart additionally pointed to a 2022 report by the 32BJ Well being Fund, which decided that hospital prices are the “leading driver” of hovering well being prices for its members.
NYSNA pointed to document income earned by the three hospital programs, in addition to a July report by the New York Occasions that NewYork-Presbyterian is below investigation for colluding with insurance coverage firms to maintain healthcare costs excessive at its services.Picture by Dean Moses
NYSNA additionally identified that NewYork-Presbyerian is below civil investigation by the U.S. Division of Justice for colluding with insurance coverage firms to maintain costs excessive for New York Metropolis sufferers, as per reporting by the New York Occasions final July.
“Hospital executives are driving up the costs of care while crying they cannot afford to fund nurses’ healthcare,” mentioned NYSNA Govt Director Pat Kane. “We’re calling out their bluff and are out here on the streets of New York because patients need to know too. Hospital executives are continuing to put their profits before the communities of New York and enough is enough.”
The town’s non-public hospitals have elevated their government compensation by hundreds of thousands and based on 990 tax filings printed by ProPublica, the chief government officers’ of all three hospital programs impacted by the strike elevated their complete compensation — together with salaries, advantages, and perks — by over 54% from 2020 to 2023.
Mount Sinai is listed right here, NewYork-Presbyterian is listed right here, and Montefiore is listed right here.
Nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital mentioned they welcomed LGBTQIA+ allies to the picket line this afternoon, which started at 2 p.m at Mount Sinai Hospital. It’s going to function performances by the Resistance Revival Refrain, Drag Present from Marti Gould and the Impolite Mechanical Orchestra in solidarity with putting nurses.
Picket strains will proceed at 7 a.m. all through the weekend and every single day all through the strike at each Manhattan and Bronx hospital places.Picture by Dean Moses
Strike strains will proceed all through the weekend starting at 7 a.m. on the following places:
Mount Sinai, Manhattan:
Mount Sinai Hospital, 1468 Madison Ave.
Mount Sinai Morningside, 1111 Amsterdam Ave.
Mount Sinai West, 1000 Tenth Ave.
Montefiore, Bronx:
Jack D. Weiler Campus, 1825 Eastchester Rd.
Henry & Lucy Moses Campus, 111 East 210th St.
Montefiore Hutchinson Medical Heart, 1250 Waters Pl.
NewYork-Presbyterian, Manhattan:
NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, 5141 Broadway
CUIMC Milstein Hospital, 177 Fort Washington Ave.
CHONY Morgan Stanley Youngsters’s Hospital, 3959 Broadway
