It’s day eight of a historic strike among New York City’s nurses, with nearly 15,000 walking off the job last Monday.
Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, and Montefiore are asking for higher pay, an increase in staff to manage patients, fully funded benefits and better workplace protections against violence for its members.
As tensions escalate between the private hospitals and thousands of their employees, negotiations are stalled.
Over the weekend, nurses joined together in chorus even in the snow, calling for their demands to be met.
Today, striking nurses will raise their voices again, and give back at the city-run George Washington Carver Houses, providing free community health screenings from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Rev. Al Sharpton will also join nurses at the picket line at 3:30 p.m. at Mount Sinai Morningside.
Nurses on other picket lines will be hosting a family day, inviting family and community members to join them on the picket line.
While nurses remain away from their patients, operations continue with the help of traveling nurses secured by hospitals.
But it’s unclear how long this may go on as they bridge the gap for the thousands who walked off the job.
All of the hospitals impacted by the strike have stressed that they will remain open.
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