The largest nurses strike in New York City history stretched into its eighth day Tuesday, with negotiations stalled and no timeline for a return to the bargaining table.
Nurses from the New York State Nurses Association continued picketing outside several hospitals through the weekend, holding firm on demands for safe staffing levels, protections from workplace violence and no cuts to health care benefits.
What You Need To Know
The largest nurses strike in New York City history entered its eighth day Tuesday
Nurses are demanding safe staffing standards, protections from workplace violence and no cuts to health care benefits
Contract talks did not continue over the weekend, and there is no timeline for when negotiations will resume
Hospitals are using temporary and agency nurses while blaming the union for the stalemate
“They always make it look like the nurses are looking for more money, but that’s not the case. Our priority, our number one goal is patient safety,” said Kimberly Lyaurent, a Montefiore nurse of four years.
Family members and supporters also joined nurses on the picket line, questioning hospital executives’ priorities.
“The executives are making millions of dollars on end. Why can’t we feed it into the people who are on the ground doing the hard work?” said Conasia Watts, whose mother is a nurse.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the strike drew national civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, who framed the dispute as more than a labor fight.
“This is a civil rights issue. This is a human rights issue,” Sharpton said.
As the work stoppage enters its second week, nurses say the strike is taking a personal toll. Many have gone more than a week without paychecks, and some have lost health insurance coverage.
“I have doctor’s appointments that are stacked, and I have no health insurance,” said Cynthia Campbell, a Mount Sinai Morningside nurse who is recovering from cancer.
Hospital systems say they want nurses back at work but blame the union for the stalemate.
Montefiore said it cannot make progress unless the union retreats from what it has described as “reckless and dangerous $3.6 billion demands.” Mount Sinai’s chief executive officer told staff that a near-term agreement is unlikely.
Union negotiators dispute that characterization.
“They basically stonewalled us, presented us with nothing, and we left with nothing,” said Jonathan Hunter, a negotiator for Mount Sinai nurses.
Negotiations have been sporadic since the strike began.
Contract talks did not continue over the weekend, and while NewYork-Presbyterian returned to the negotiating table last Thursday with the help of a mediator, the sides failed to move closer to an agreement.
Mount Sinai talks on Friday also ended without progress, and it remains unclear when discussions with Montefiore will resume.
City leaders have urged both sides to return to negotiations.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin joined nurses on the picket line Monday, calling for a resolution that ensures safe staffing and patient care.
Hospitals have brought in temporary and agency nurses to remain operational. Mount Sinai said it has extended contracts for agency nurses and is onboarding additional staff to restore scheduled surgical volumes.
With no end to the strike in sight, nurses say they will remain on the picket line until a deal is reached.