TL/DR –
Around 15,000 nurses in New York City have been on strike since January 12, holding out for increased staffing, better hospital safety, and improved healthcare benefits. This is the largest nurses strike in the city’s history. The New York State Nurses Association has criticized the high salaries of hospital CEOs at a time when nurses say there are too few of them to adequately care for patients.
New York City Nurses Continue Largest Strike in City History Despite Freezing Temperatures
Despite the frigid weather, thousands of nurses in New York City are holding the largest nurses strike in the city’s history. Nearly 15,000 nurses from three different hospital systems have been on strike since January 12th, demanding better staffing, improved safety measures in hospitals, and enhanced healthcare benefits.
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) is criticizing the high salaries of hospital CEOs while nurses grapple with understaffing and inadequate patient care. Nurses have gained support from various officials, including the New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who joined the picket lines outside Mount Sinai hospital.
Representatives from Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals are expected to return to negotiation discussions with the NYSNA, under the urging of Mayor Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Nurses have been braving temperatures as low as 19F (-7C) during the strike.
Senator Sanders criticized the greed of the healthcare industry, pointing to the high salaries of hospital executives in the face of demanded better nurse-to-patient ratios. The CEO salaries at NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospitals range from $5m to $26m a year.
Temporary nurses have been hired to cover the strike, a move nurses find disappointing. Cecilia Barreto, a Mount Sinai nurse, stated, “We want to be at the bedside. We want to be taking care of the patients.”
Hospital representatives have accused the union of making extreme economic demands. Nurses argue they are overworked and need better security measures in hospitals, citing recent incidents of violence in the workplace. Aretha Morgan, a nurse at NewYork-Presbyterian, said, “We’re on strike because of the lack of safety. We have staffing shortages, and we have increased unprecedented levels of workplace violence.”
Nurses are urging the hospitals to negotiate in good faith for better working conditions. “They need to come to the table in good faith, and let’s talk about it, and let us get this done,” Morgan added.
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