More than 7,000 nurses from two New York hospitals on strike

Editor's Note

More than 7,000 nurses at two New York hospitals started an open-ended strike on Monday after failing to reach a deal on new contracts, according to a January 9 release from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), reports January 9 Healthcare Dive.

The intention of the strike is to renegotiate contract agreements for better staffing and pay,  which would improve recruitment and retention. There were originally 16,000 nurses from eight hospitals in the state who intended to strike, but this was avoided after deals between the hospitals and staff were made.

According to NYSNA, Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Bronx failed to reach an agreement in time to stop the strikes, despite continued negotiations from over the weekend.  The two hospitals have prepared by discharging patients, acquiring replacement staff, and delaying elective procedures, according to a report from The New York Times.

The challenges that emerged in negotiations involved New York state’s staffing law that passed last year, which requires hospitals to form clinical committees tasked with setting annual staffing standards. Union leaders said implementation of the law has not been thorough and are pushing for better terms in contract agreements and for a minimum standard throughout the state.

Read NYSNA release.