New York City (WABC) — Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai have reached tentative agreements with the hospital and will return to work Thursday.
The New York State Nurses Association has been on strike since Monday, demanding better wages and nurse-to-patient ratios.
“This is a historic victory for New York nurses and nurses across the country. NYSNA nurses have done the impossible, saving lives day and night, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we have shown once again that nothing is impossible for nursing heroes. Through our unity and by putting everything On top of that, we have secured safe labor relations that are enforceable at both Montefiore and Mount Sinai, where the nurses went on strike to care for patients,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans.
Mount Sinai sent a brief statement that said in part, “Our proposed agreement is similar to those between NYSNA and eight other New York City hospitals. It is fair and responsible, and it puts patients first.”
Nurses say that with this agreement, there will always be enough nurses at the bedside to provide safe patient care, not just on paper. New staffing relationships are effective immediately.
According to the nurses, there are more than 500 positions open at Mount Sinai alone.
Meanwhile in Montefiore, their agreement includes a 19 percent raise and 170 nursing jobs, an increase in so-called floatation pool nurses. This will add more nurses and certified therapists to the emergency departments.
Nurses also won partnerships with nursing students to recruit local Bronx nurses to stay as union nurses at Montefiore for the long term.
“This is a historic victory for New York nurses and nurses across the country. NYSNA nurses have done the impossible, saving lives day and night, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we have shown once again that nothing is impossible for nursing heroes. Through our unity and by putting everything On top of that, we have secured safe labor relations that are enforceable at both Montefiore and Mount Sinai, where the nurses went on strike to care for patients,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans.
Both facilities agreed to immediate return-to-work agreements, so nurses will return to the bedside with patients today.
Nurses at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, who had threatened to strike starting Jan. 17, also reached a tentative deal and withdrew their 10-day strike notice.
If a tentative agreement had not been reached today, Mount Sinai would have had wandering sisters in the city who would have been ready to start.
As many as 3,500 nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and about 3,600 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan walked off the job Monday after last-minute talks to avert a strike collapsed.
“We love our work. We want to take care of our patients. But we just want to do it safely and in a human way, where we feel valued,” said one nurse.
Earlier this week, the union announced that Flushing Hospital Medical Center, University of Richmond Medical Center and BronxCare all ratified their contracts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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