NEW YORK (WABC) — Nurses for the past week and a half have been on the picket line in the bitter cold as negotiations turned sour between the union and the three hospital systems that have yet to make a deal and get a fair contract on the table.
As conversations resume, that doesn’t mean nurses will stop their fight, as Thursday marks day 11 for them on the picket line.
The big question is, could this be their last day outside?
Wednesday night, the nurses gathered in Washington Heights. Fifteen-thousand nurses in Manhattan and the Bronx walked off the job last week.
They’re calling for better pay and benefits, increased staffing, and tighter workplace security at Mount Sinai, NewYork Presbyterian, and Montefiore.
Since the strike began, the nurses’ union has been at the bargaining table just once with each of the hospital systems, with no resolution.
With tensions rising, the governor and even the mayor are encouraging both sides to get back to the bargaining table.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “I’m very heartened by the news. Each and every day I’ve been at the picket line or spoken about the strike, I’ve always encouraged a swift and immediate resolution to the strike, and also recognizing the incredible work that nurses do in the city. I can tell you that I am tired of speaking to a working person and asking them where they live in New York City, and then they tell me it’s a state nearby because they cannot afford to live here. I’m heartened by this news and I look forward to the resolution of the strike.”
While the three hospital systems and the union are headed back to the bargaining table, it will be interesting to see if this time those conversations take a different course.
The hospitals are hiring freelance nurses, known as “travel nurses,” and management claims essential operations have continued.
However, some nurses say that the use of travel nurses may not be sustainable over a longer period if the strike continues.
“I definitely think they’re going to see a decline in the amount of nurses that are readily available to care for the patients in New York City,” said travel nurse Renard Walker.
A similar strike three years ago lasted just three days.
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