Two of New York City’s main hospitals are without nursing staff after over 7,000 nurses went on strike on Monday over the need for effective patient care due to significant staffing shortages.
According to CNN, the strikes occurred early Monday morning at three locations of Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Upper Manhattan, after talks broke down overnight from Sunday into Monday when officials from the hospitals and unions met at the bargaining table.
Several hospitals had tentative agreements in place over the last week, including two new ones late Sunday evening. The union had been promised a 19% pay increase, which they had refused.
Nancy Hagans, President of the New York State Nurses Association, highlighted the issue as one of the staffing shortages that occurred during the pandemic and have yet to be resolved, resulting in an unacceptable nurse-to-patient ratio—sometimes as high as one to 20.
“As nurses, our top concern is patient safety,” Hagans said in a statement on Friday. “Yet nurses have been forced to work without enough staff stretched to our breaking point.”
Burnout has resulted from a lack of staff and overworked nurses not only in New York City but around the country. Hagans also stated that hospitals are not filling current staff shortages, citing Montefiore Medical Center’s current 760 employee positions.
The two hospitals, spread across four locations, account for 16% of all hospital beds in the city.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul intervened, pushing the union and management to first submit to binding arbitration
On Monday, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul intervened, pushing the union and management to first submit to binding arbitration. Despite hospital management’s agreement and pushback on the union’s refusal to comply, the union rejected the plan.
“NYSNA continues its reckless behavior. The Governor’s proposal would have provided a path to avoid a strike,” Mount Sinai said in a statement on Monday. “Our first priority is the safety of our patients. We encourage Mount Sinai nurses to continue providing the world-class care they’re known for despite NYSNA’s strike.”
The union gave hospital brass a 10-day notice to negotiate a fair deal or make other arrangements. So far, the impact on the city’s healthcare operations appears to be minor, according to a city official.
“We need management to come to the table and provide better staffing,” Hagans said in a press call Sunday afternoon,” she said. “The fact that they have failed to come to the table means they have failed the community,” Hagans expressed.