1 year ago
64
More than 7,000 nurses astatine 2 large New York hospitals walked disconnected the occupation Monday morning, protesting wage and staffing arrangements they contend person overwhelmed wellness attraction professionals during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
Last-minute talks to debar a enactment stoppage astatine Mount Sinai Hospital successful Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center successful the Bronx broke down overnight, and the New York State Nurses Association rejected an earlier connection by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to instrumentality this quality to binding arbitration.
Mount Sinai spokeswoman Lucia Lee said the national walked retired of negotiations soon aft 1 a.m. Representatives from some hospitals said the national rejected the aforesaid astir 20-percent wage summation connection that nurses astatine adjacent institutions accepted successful erstwhile bargaining talks.
New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) successful a connection urged each parties to “remain astatine the bargaining array for nevertheless agelong it takes to scope a voluntary agreement.”
Nursing unions crossed the state person pushed for staffing improvements since the commencement of the pandemic, citing burnout they contend has depleted diligent attraction capabilities and placed wellness attraction professionals successful harm’s way.
More than 400 nurses walked disconnected the occupation astatine a Chicago hospital connected Jan. 3, for a three-day onslaught aft layoffs exacerbated staffing shortages. Nurses successful Oakland and Berkeley, Calif., held a five-day onslaught opening Christmas Eve. Another 400 wellness attraction workers — including nursing assistants, surgical technicians, pharmacists, dietitians and laboratory assistants — launched a five-day onslaught successful Marina del Rey, Calif., connected Dec. 12, implicit akin concerns.
New York nurses were capable to scope agreements with 7 different hospitals astir a communal bargaining framework. Nurses volition get adjacent to 20-percent wage increases implicit 3 years, and the hospitals agreed to improved staffing standards.
“Since [New York City] nurses started negotiating our contracts 4 months ago, we person said our fig 1 contented is the situation of chronic understaffing that harms diligent care,” New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans told reporters Friday. “Safe staffing is astir having capable nurses to present safe, prime attraction to each patient. It is the contented that our employers person ignored, made excuses about, and fought against america on.”
Montefiore successful connection said nurses “decided to locomotion distant from the bedsides of the patients” successful the strike, and said the enactment stoppage “will spark fearfulness and uncertainty crossed our community.”
“Our archetypal precedence is the information of our patients. We’re prepared to minimize disruption, and we promote Mount Sinai nurses to proceed providing the world-class attraction they’re known for, successful spite of NYSNA’s strike,” Lee, the Mount Sinai spokeswoman, said successful a statement.
The national successful a station connected Twitter said patients going to either infirmary strategy “is NOT crossing our onslaught line.” It invited patients to articulation demonstrations aft receiving care.
English (US)