Nurses Reach Tentative Agreements, Strike Ends

Congratulations to NYSNA nurses at Montefiore and Mt Sinai Hospitals who showed tremendous courage and tenacity in their strike these past three days. They stood up for their patients and communities as well as themselves, and refused to back down despite tremendous pressure. It was inspiring to see. Strikes work!

By Chris Boyette and Artemis Moshtaghian, New York CNN

A nurses strike at two private New York City hospital systems has come to an end after 7,000 nurses spent three days on the picket line.

The New York State Nurses Association union reached tentative deals with Mount Sinai Health System and Montefiore Health System, which operates three hospitals in the Bronx that had been struck. The nurses had been arguing that immense staffing shortages have caused widespread burnout, hindering their ability to properly care for their patients.

The union said the deal will provide enforceable “safe staffing ratios” for all inpatient units at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, “so that there will always be enough nurses at the bedside to provide safe patient care, not just on paper.” At Montefiore, the hospital agreed to financial penalties for failing to comply with agreed-upon staffing levels in all units.

Montefiore said the agreement also includes 170 new nursing positions, a 19.1% increase in pay, lifetime health coverage for eligible retirees and adding “significantly more nurses” in the ER.

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