Thousands of Nurses in New York City Prepare to Take the Streets Amid Contract Disputes
A strike by nearly 16,000 nurses across five major hospitals in New York City is set to disrupt patient care and hospital operations on Monday. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has been negotiating with the hospitals for over a year, but contract talks have stalled.
The union's main demands include safe staffing ratios, increased healthcare benefits, pay raises, and improved workplace safety measures. However, hospital management has rejected some of these demands, leading to tensions between the two parties. The NYSNA claims that the hospitals are more concerned with profits than patient care, citing CEO compensation packages that are excessively high compared to those of nurses.
According to Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, "What we are asking them is to take those millions and invest it into the community so we could continue to work to care for our patients, invest it into staffing, invest those millions into our medical coverage so we could come to work." She accused hospital management of pushing for reduced staffing ratios, refusing to guarantee healthcare benefits, and ignoring workplace safety concerns.
The strike is also sparked by a growing number of assaults on healthcare workers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Last November, an active-shooter incident at Mount Sinai resulted in three nurses being disciplined for speaking out against the incident. Hagans cited this as one of the reasons why nurses are taking a stand, saying "The safety of a patient should never be a bargaining chip."
The NYSNA has warned that hospitals have $1.6 billion set aside, which they claim could be invested in improving staffing and healthcare benefits for nurses. The union has already begun hiring travel nurses to replace striking workers.
Hospital management denies any wrongdoing, but claims the strike is being used to disrupt patient care. They argue that the NYSNA's demands are unreasonable and have accused the union of trying to "punish" hospital staff.
The strike will likely have far-reaching consequences for patients, with some hospitals already preparing contingency plans in case of a labor dispute.
A strike by nearly 16,000 nurses across five major hospitals in New York City is set to disrupt patient care and hospital operations on Monday. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has been negotiating with the hospitals for over a year, but contract talks have stalled.
The union's main demands include safe staffing ratios, increased healthcare benefits, pay raises, and improved workplace safety measures. However, hospital management has rejected some of these demands, leading to tensions between the two parties. The NYSNA claims that the hospitals are more concerned with profits than patient care, citing CEO compensation packages that are excessively high compared to those of nurses.
According to Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, "What we are asking them is to take those millions and invest it into the community so we could continue to work to care for our patients, invest it into staffing, invest those millions into our medical coverage so we could come to work." She accused hospital management of pushing for reduced staffing ratios, refusing to guarantee healthcare benefits, and ignoring workplace safety concerns.
The strike is also sparked by a growing number of assaults on healthcare workers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Last November, an active-shooter incident at Mount Sinai resulted in three nurses being disciplined for speaking out against the incident. Hagans cited this as one of the reasons why nurses are taking a stand, saying "The safety of a patient should never be a bargaining chip."
The NYSNA has warned that hospitals have $1.6 billion set aside, which they claim could be invested in improving staffing and healthcare benefits for nurses. The union has already begun hiring travel nurses to replace striking workers.
Hospital management denies any wrongdoing, but claims the strike is being used to disrupt patient care. They argue that the NYSNA's demands are unreasonable and have accused the union of trying to "punish" hospital staff.
The strike will likely have far-reaching consequences for patients, with some hospitals already preparing contingency plans in case of a labor dispute.
Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system and they deserve better working conditions. I mean, $1.6 billion set aside by hospitals is like, what's up with that? 
Can't they see how that money could be invested in improving staffing ratios and healthcare benefits for nurses? It's not just about the nurses, it's about patient care too 
. Assaults on healthcare workers since COVID-19 have been on the rise and hospitals need to take responsibility for those incidents. Strikes are scary, I get it, but at least NYSNA is standing up for what they believe in 
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I'm thinking, y'know? These nurses are fighting for their rights & it's not about being greedy, it's about making sure they can provide the best care for patients! 
The hospitals have got to realize that investing in staffin' & benefits is gonna save 'em money in the long run. Plus, thinkin' about all those assault incidents on nurses since COVID? That's just insane! 
They gotta take safety seriously. I hope they get what they want, for everyone's sake 
oh man these nurses gotta stand up 4 themselves rn! 
and its like they're trying to turn nursing into some kinda profession where u gotta fight 2 get recognized. 
i wanna see those $1.6 billion dollars go towards staffing & healthcare benefits, not just sitting there collecting dust. 
. These nurses are fighting for their rights and what do they get? A bunch of CEOs who care more about lining their pockets than taking care of their staff 
. It's not like the hospitals aren't making enough money off those patients anyway...like $1.6 billion is a small amount to just throw around 
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. Like, we need our hospitals to be staffed properly, especially now that COVID's still around. I can see why the nurses are mad, though - those CEO salaries are wild 
, they're not just fighting for themselves but for patient safety too 
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. If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic should've taught us the importance of prioritizing nurse safety 
The fact that they're pushing for reduced staffing ratios and cutting healthcare benefits is just not right. And the assaults on healthcare workers since COVID-19 are super concerning... it's like hospitals aren't doing enough to keep their staff safe 