NEW YORK (AP) — Nurses on strike at two major New York City hospital systems have approved new contracts, but ones striking at another system have rejected the proposal, ensuring that the monthlong walkout
will continue at some of the city’s major medical centers.
The New York State Nurses Association announced Wednesday that its members at Montefiore and Mount Sinai approved new three-year deals while nurses at NewYork Presbyterian have rejected the proposal.
“This hard-earned victory shows hospitals that they can’t cut corners on patient care. Now it’s time for NewYork-Presbyterian to do the right thing, agree to a fair contract and bring all our nurses back to work,” Nancy Hagans, the union’s president, said.
Brendan Carr, CEO of Mount Sinai, urged hospital staff to come together with empathy and respect and a “shared culture” as its unionized nurses return to work starting Saturday.
“The past several weeks have been challenging, emotional, frustrating, and exhausting in different ways for all of us,” Carr said in a letter to staff. “I want to remind us all that health care is built on compassion, and that compassion must extend not only to our patients, but also to one another.”
NewYork Presbyterian said it was disappointed its nurses did not ratify a proposal from mediators that hospital administrators had accepted and that the union top leaders had urged them to approve , over the objections of its own bargaining committee.
“We believe the proposal, which includes compromises, is fair and reasonable and reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role that they play,” the hospital said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Montefiore didn’t immediately comment.
The union said the deals approved by Montefiore and Mount Sinai nurses include pay raises of more than 12% over three years.
They also maintain nurses’ health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs and include new protections against workplace violence, including specific protections for transgender and immigrant nurses and patients, the union said.
The pacts even include new safeguards against artificial intelligence in hospitals for the first time, according to the union.
Nurses walked off the job Jan. 12 in what the union has said is the largest and longest strike of its kind in city history.
Union members have been picketing in front of some of the largest privately-run hospitals in the city, just as the region endured some of the most frigid temperatures seen in years.
Nurses said staffing and safety were among their top issues in contract talks.
They complained their patient loads are unmanageable and sought better security measures in hospitals, particularly after two recent violentincidents.
The new contracts would address those concerns by increasing staffing levels and providing new protections against workplace violence, the union said.
The hospitals have insisted operations at the affected hospitals were running smoothly during the strike, with organ transplants, cardiac surgeries and other complex procedures largely uninterrupted.
They brought on thousands of temporary nurses to fill in staffing gaps, and canceled scheduled surgeries, transferred some patients and discharged others in the days ahead of the strike.
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