Always a last resort:' Nurses at 12 NYC hospitals vote to authorize a strike

"The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) voted overwhelmingly on Monday to authorize a strike for 20,000 nurses in NYC a move made just two weeks before their contract expires. The nurses, all from private hospitals throughout the five boroughs, cited staffing issues, safety concerns, fair wages and other reasons for considering a strike. The union's vote on Dec. 22 now gives its bargaining committees the authority to call a strike if a contract that protects safe patient care is not settled by the end of the year."

"We became nurses because we care about our patients deeply and do not take striking lightly. It is always a last resort, Nancy Hagans, RN, and NYSNA president, said. But it's shameful that instead of trying to protect care and settle a fair contract, hospitals are dragging their feet and making proposals that would seriously erode care in this city."

"The nurses are from hospitals including BronxCare Health System, the Brooklyn Hospital Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Interfaith Medical Center / One Brooklyn Health, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center / One Brooklyn Health, Maimonides Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospitals, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center, Richmond University Medical Center, and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center."

Twenty thousand nurses from private hospitals across the five boroughs authorized a strike on Dec. 22, granting bargaining committees the authority to call a walkout if a contract that protects safe patient care is not settled by year-end. Nurses cited staffing shortages, patient safety concerns, fair wages, and healthcare benefit guarantees as central demands. Nurses reported employer avoidance and delays in bargaining, with hospitals yet to make economic counterproposals and some refusing to guarantee healthcare benefits for nurses. A Midtown rally underscored urgency and the union framed striking as a last resort to protect patient care.

Read at www.amny.com