After nearly four days of strike action, a tentative agreement has been reached between the New York State Nurses Association and two of New York City’s largest hospitals.
More than 7,100 nurses associated with Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City went on strike at 6 a.m. Monday, protesting working conditions and demanding safe staff, primarily in emergency departments.
At around 3:30 a.m., Mount Sinai Health System tweeted: “the strike is over and we have an agreement.” The system then thanked its employees for their “unwavering dedication and world-class patient care.”
Approximately 15 minutes earlier, Montefiore Medical Center announced that a tentative agreement had been reached with the leadership of the New York State Nurses Association. Montefiore President and CEO Dr. Phlip Ozuah said the system is “pleased to offer” its new terms.
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Protesters march in the streets around Montefiore Medical Center during a nursing strike, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in the Bronx borough of New York.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
“We came to these bargaining sessions with great respect for our nurses and with proposals that reflect their priorities in terms of pay, benefits, safety and staffing,” Ozuah said.
The new agreement released by Montefiore includes: a 19.1% pay increase, an increase in over 170 nursing positions, maintaining fully-funded healthcare for eligible RNs, and lifetime health coverage for RNs eligible retirees, an increase in preceptor and charge nurse pay of $5 per hour over standard wages, an increase for floating nurses by adding more RNs and nurse practitioners in emergency departments, and continuing to significantly increase the infrastructure of nurse education in emergency departments.
Ozuah added that the system is “grateful for the dedication and commitment” of its nurses who have worked in “very difficult circumstances” in recent years.
Protesters march in the streets around Montefiore Medical Center during a nursing strike, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in the Bronx borough of New York.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Mount Sinai Health System issued the following statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday morning:
“We are pleased that The Mount Sinai Hospital has reached a tentative agreement with NYSNA and the strike has ended. Our proposed agreement is similar to those between NYSNA and eight other New York City hospitals. It is fair and responsible, and puts patients first We are grateful to Governor Hochul, her staff and elected officials for their leadership and support throughout the negotiation process To our amazing team at Mount Sinai – thank you for your unwavering dedication to patient care of World class”.
A supporter stands through the sunroof of a vehicle passing in front of Mt. Sinai Hospital in the Manhattan borough of New York on Monday, January 9, 2023, as nurses stage a strike following the breakdown of negotiations with the hospital hours before.
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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During the strike, both hospitals felt the absence of thousands of nurses and patient care was significantly affected.
Medical centers were forced to postpone non-emergency surgeries, divert ambulances to other hospitals, hire temporary staff and assign experienced nursing managers to deal with the mass strike.
