20,000 nurses vote to authorize strike across 12 NYC hospitals

CITYWIDE — THE NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION on Monday announced that 97% of nurses at 12 private sector hospitals across New York City — five of them in Brooklyn — voted to authorize a strike, two weeks before their Dec. 31 contract expiration. This vote gives their bargaining committees the authority to call a strike if a contract is not settled by the end of the year, NYSNA said in a release.

Topping the list of demands are safe staffing levels, followed by community healthcare services; protections for vulnerable patients targeted by the Trump administration; health, safety and workplace violence protection; safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare; and fair wages and benefits to recruit and retain nurses.

The 12 hospitals include: 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 Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center, Richmond University Medical Center, and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.

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