Thursday marks day 18 of the New York City nurses’ strike and while there is still no end in sight, the nurses are holding a day of action to protest ICE.<\/p>\n
Nurses have returned to the picket lines outside Montefiore, NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai hospitals after the winter storm.<\/p>\n
The New York State Nurses Association union is calling for increased staffing and protections against workplace violence.<\/p>\n
On Thursday the nurses were joined by several local congress members at Mount Sinai to also demand that ICE be kept out of the hospitals to protect care for immigrant patients.<\/p>\n
“We are horrified by ICE interfering with patient care in California and canvassing parking lots at federally qualified health clinics in Chicago, we know that the fear of encountering ICE already caused our Mount Sinai patients to delay or stop seeking care,” said Mount Sinai nurse Lillian Espinoza.<\/p>\n
The day of action comes after two days of talks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now hospitals will work with mediators on Thursday to “work a package proposal” to give to the nurses’ union on Friday.<\/p>\n
The nurses believe the package will be counters to proposals the union made in September.<\/p>\n
No agreements were reached on the major proposals of staffing rations, expanding the ER and eliminating hallway beds (specifically at Montefiore Hospital), wages or workplace violence protections.<\/p>\n
The union says, “Striking nurses will continue to meet in bargaining committees to work on proposals. Mediators will call nurses and hospitals back to the table later in the week. Nurses continue to picket daily in hopes of settling fair contracts that protect nurse and patient safety.”<\/p>\n
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