NYC Nurses Strike and Win for Fair Contracts

After a successful three-day strike, nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore have won and ratified historic contracts that include enforceable nurse-to-patient staffing ratios with expedited arbitration and potential financial penalties payable to nurses when employers fail to uphold contractual safe staffing standards. Both facilities improved upon existing staffing standards—in some areas exceeding California nurse-to-patient ratios. NYSNA members at both hospitals voted to ratify their contracts by 98 percent. Local, national and international news covered the strike, including ABC Nightline, Good Morning America, CNN, ABC Channel 7 and more.

The two hospitals that went on strike before reaching contract agreements are the latest in a series of NYC private-sector hospitals that campaigned together for new contracts. All of the facilities, including BronxCare Health System, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Montefiore Bronx, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, NewYork-Presbyterian, Richmond University Medical Center, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center won better staffing standards and enforcement, protected healthcare benefits, and increased salaries by 7 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent during the three-year contract period. Only One Brooklyn Health facilities, Interfaith Medical Center and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, continue to be at the bargaining table.

The NYC strike wasn’t the only example of nurses rising up for safe staffing and better patient care – just the latest. NYSNA Director at Large and Montefiore nurse Benny Matthew, RN, spoke to The Washington Post to highlight the unsafe working conditions that have pushed waves of nurses strikes in New York, Minnesota, California and even the United Kingdom.

New York Times columnist Lydia Polgreen interviewed several NYSNA nurses when shaping her column about the national crisis of nurse understaffing. The piece, “Nurses Are Burned Out and Fed Up. For Good Reason,” concludes, “We spend a lot of time in our politics talking about the need for meaningful jobs that support a middle-class life. It is hard to imagine a more meaningful job than nursing. But to get people interested in doing this job, and sticking with it for the long haul, we need to invest in making it sustainable as a long-term career, imbued with the respect and dignity it deserves. Our lives depend on it.”

Congratulations nurses for your courage and advocacy throughout this contract campaign and dedication to your patients, community, and the profession!

To see inspiring photos and videos from the New York City nurses strike, visit our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok pages.

NYSNA Press Release

For press inquiries about negotiations or proposals, please contact press@nysna.org. If you are an NYSNA member and want additional information on negotiations, please contact your NYSNA representative.

Video Highlights

No matter what management tells you, you have the legal right to:

• Wear a button or sticker at work
• Talk to the press about your working conditions

Contact your NYSNA rep ASAP if management tells you that you can’t wear a sticker or talk to the press.

01-05 Bargaining Highlights

Nurses at three NYSNA facilities reached tentative agreements, NY-Presbyterian, Richmond University Medical Center, and Maimonides Medical Center, with improvements to wages and staffing. Nurses at all three facilities fought off management’s proposals to cut healthcare benefits.

NY-Presbyterian nurses have already begun their ratification vote, and nurses at RUMC and Maimonides will begin theirs shortly. Voting whether to ratify a contract is a key part of union democracy, so please don’t miss your chance to vote if you’re at one of these three facilities!

Here are some highlights of the tentative agreements:

• 19.9% compounded raises over the 3-year contract with 7% in the first year, 6% in the second year, and 5% in the third year at all three facilities.
• Health benefits saved – with hospitals agreeing to increase their contributions significantly
• Staffing grid improvements and additional full-time nursing hires.

Our NYSNA bargaining committees have been working around the clock to settle fair contracts. As of today, more than 10,000 nurses at 5 facilities are still heading toward a strike on January 9th. It’s now up to management to come to the table and settle contracts that protect nurses and our patients if they don’t want to see nurses on the strike line.

01-04 Bargaining Highlights

NYSNA nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital reached tentative agreement hours before their contract expired on Dec. 31 and one day after delivering their strike notice!

Negotiations for 12,000 nurses at 7 hospitals continue as nurses prepare to strike for better patient care. NewYork-Presbyterian nurses’ hard work and commitment to patients helped deliver a tentative agreement that will help recruit and retain more nurses for safe patient care and improve conditions for patients. NYSNA urges other hospitals to follow NewYork-Presbyterian's lead in negotiating in good faith for fair contracts that respect nurses and patients.

Negotiations continue at BronxCare Health System, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Montefiore Bronx, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, and Richmond University Medical Center. Unless contract agreements are reached, nurses at those hospitals will strike on Jan. 9, 2023.

Nurses have been sounding the alarm about the short-staffing crisis that puts patients at risk, especially during a tripledemic of COVID, RSV and flu. Nurses say hospitals aren’t doing enough to keep caregivers at the bedside, and instead of working with COVID nurse heroes, in some cases, have violated union rights, spied on and interrogated nurses about union activity and tried to silence nurses from speaking out about understaffing.

Striking is always a last resort, but nurses say they are prepared to strike if hospital administration gives them no other option to protect their patients and their practice.

12-20 Bargaining Highlights

As many of you know, we have begun strike authorization votes at most of our NYC private sector hospitals and will be done voting at those facilities in the next couple days, with the goal to complete all our votes at all of our facilities by the end of the year. So far, an overwhelming majority of our NYSNA colleagues are voting yes to authorize a strike.

Striking is always a last resort. We will do everything within our power to settle a good contract for nurses and our patients so that we don’t have to strike. But we need to be prepared to strike if bosses give us no other option. Especially since many of them have been engaging in illegal behavior that has now been reported to the NLRB. Our goal is never to strike just for the sake of striking – our goal is to win a good contract for nurses and our patients.

• Flushing Hospital Medical Center: NYSNA RNs bargained all day last Monday and came to two TAs on non-economic issues and made good progress on several other non-economic issues. After a membership meeting on Thursday, strike authorization voting began Friday.
• Maimonides Medical Center: Signed off on the NYSNA pension and we continue to work on staffing. Despite several requests, Maimonides has not provided a true economic proposal beyond 3 percent. Voting for strike authorization began on Monday.
• Montefiore: We have five more sessions scheduled for bargaining until the end of the year. It’s time for Montefiore to stop stalling, and start making serious proposals. Monte has attempted to stop union activities and questioned employees about their union activities for our contract fight.
• Mount Sinai West/Morningside: After many bargaining sessions, MSMW management has rejected or refused to respond to many of our most critical proposals. MSMW management hasn’t come to the table with serious responses on wages, retiree benefits or staffing enforcement – all core issues. Worse, the management trustees have proposed cuts to current healthcare benefits.
• NewYork-Presbyterian: Through 14 bargaining sessions, management has rejected almost all of our proposals. The only economic proposal they’ve given is for 3% raises each year. Additionally, NYP has committed several Unfair Labor Practices under federal labor law.

12-06 Bargaining Highlights

Last week, we made headlines with a wildly successful press conference on the steps of City Hall and a City Council oversight hearing on the state of nursing that received a ton of media attention. Ahead of the hearing, the New York Daily News published an OpEd that co-authored by NYSNA President Nancy Hagans and New York City Council Hospitals Committee Chair Mercedes Narcisse.

CM Narcisse led the oversight hearing and also joined us at our press conference on the steps of City Hall along with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and allies from labor and healthcare. And here’s how the NYDN reported Greater New York Hospital Association’s anxious response to a city council member’s question about executive pay:

When Councilwoman Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn) brought up executive pay, citing the millions of dollars in annual compensation hospital executives in the city make, and asked why such compensation is necessary compared to nurses’ wages, Ryan appeared flummoxed. “You can’t compare a CEO’s salary to a nurse’s salary, per se,” she said. “Hospital CEO compensation reflects the, um, the level of competition that the region bears. Um, it reflects the need for skills and leadership necessary to operate large, very complex organizations that are open 24-7, um, and that, um, are often the largest employer in the community. So, they’re, I’m just giving you, you know, background on understanding the context of your question. I can’t answer your question specifically.”

• BronxCare: The NYSNA bargaining team finally met with the employer on two consecutive dates after they canceled three (3) bargaining sessions. Nurses reaffirmed their commitment to having a new contract by Dec. 31 and the hospital attorney responded, “I don't care! Quote me if you want, sue me if you want.”
• Flushing Hospital Medical Center: At our local bargaining unit in Flushing, NYSNA RNs are making progress on non-economic issues. But management seems to be using the uncertainty around contributions to the NYSNA benefit fund to stall on economic proposals.
• Maimonides Medical Center: NYSNA nurses TA’d a new pandemic section of the contract, which includes a new pandemic committee that will be co-chaired by NYSNA, guarantees PPE on all units, PPE fit testing, committee say in types of PPE needed for nurses, and the right to review and approve any staffing changes during pandemics by the NYSNA staffing committee. The major win is that it will be a permanent fixture in the NYSNA contract and recognition by the employer that they must have nurses at the table when making key decisions on pandemic issues.
• Montefiore: NYSNA nurses had their 11th bargaining session with Montefiore, and TA’d an agreement on an APRN Professional Practice Committee. However, management was unwilling to agree to or make progress on any other NYSNA proposals. Montefiore doubled down on their ED staffing proposal that gave management the right to adjust up or down the staffing numbers with no accountability or justification. At the next sessions on Dec. 6 and 8, NYSNA will focus on staffing enforcement, ED and maternal child health ratios, break nurses, and floating.
• Mount Sinai West/Morningside: 135 members joined the most recent bargaining session and some non-economic proposals got TA’d, including floating language referring to staffing plans and not grids, language regarding posting of positions. We also received a wage proposal of 3/3/3 from management, which the committee rejected as insulting when compared to the sacrifice the nurses made during COVID.
• NewYork-Presbyterian: Presby says they have great staffing but were so short-staffed during our last bargaining session that they refused to release NYSNA’s negotiating committee, saying “on paper, we have great staffing – we just don’t have the bodies.” Meanwhile, management asked for a response to their proposal to add zero additional staff. Members are gearing up for next negotiating sessions and for a vigil on Dec. 13.
• Wyckoff Heights Medical Center: The employer put their economic offer on the table, which was 2% per year for 3 years, as well as an additional $1/hour each on charge, preceptor, and shift pay. The NYSNA committee was furious that all that was offered was 2% after what they had been through. Each committee member present discussed a different aspect of why the employer's offer fell short.

11-22 Bargaining Highlights

The New York City Council is heeding our calls! They’re holding a hearing on November 30th on the state of nursing in NYC and on the nurse staffing crisis in our city’s private hospitals. THIS is our chance to tell the world what is going on in our facilities and to make our very reasonable demands known far and wide. It’s also an important opportunity to show our unity and strength to bosses that still aren’t taking nurses seriously at the bargaining table. Please plan to join us if you can and spread the word to all of your colleagues. We need to pack the steps of City Hall and fill the hearing room to show our bosses, the media, City Council and the public that we are saying with one voice, “Enough is enough. Listen to nurses, now!” We’ll gather on the steps of City Hall starting at 11 a.m. for a press conference and the hearing will start at 1 p.m.

• Maimonides Medical Center:Maimonides nurses had three bargaining sessions with our employer and have signed off on nine tentative agreements to date, including adding Juneteenth as a recognized contractual holiday! We still have a long way to go to win a fair contract that helps us recruit and retain nurses and we’re continuing to fight to protect our healthcare. NYSNA RNs at Maimonides also delivered a petition to management demanding no changes or cuts to our benefits!
• BronxCare: On Thursday, Nov. 17 over 85 NYSNA nurses at Bronx Care Hospital made their voices heard! They spoke out about safe staffing and the fight for a fair contract. NYSNA nurses were joined by elected officials and community allies, including New York State Senator Robert Jackson and the New York Immigration Coalition.
• Flushing Hospital Medical Center: At our local bargaining unit in Flushing, NYSNA RNs are making progress on non-economic issues. But management seems to be using the uncertainty around contributions to the NYSNA benefit fund to stall on economic proposals.
• Montefiore: In their ninth bargaining session on Tuesday, NYSNA RNs discussed the harm caused by rotation of shifts and gave management their health and safety proposal to gain further protections on the job. Montefiore’s fundraising gala at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday night also had some surprise guests: NYSNA nurses fighting for a fair contract and resident physicians fighting for a union! We thanked donors for their generosity and asked them to support the caregivers who do the work.
• Mount Sinai Hospital: Mount Sinai bosses put 3% annual increases on the table as their first counteroffer on wages. NYSNA RNs presented an updated proposal providing an amount the hospital should contribute per month to the NYSNA Benefits Fund to maintain current health insurance. The hospital claimed, “there is no pathway forward for health benefits.”
• Mount Sinai West/Morningside: On Nov. 16, the NYSNA Bargaining Committee vehemently opposed management’s attempts to “curtail” health benefits, Management also presented 26 initiatives on how to retain nurses the first point being “Breakfast with Beth”- the system VP. As if, having coffee and croissants with Beth Oliver will make nurses stay. How about R-E-S-P-E-C-T! We ended the day with a management proposal of a 3% increase for 2023, 2024 and 2025.
• One Brooklyn Health (Interfaith/Kingsbrook): NYSNA RNs at One Brooklyn Health had their first bargaining session and presented proposals for a blended contract to management. Nurses demanded that members remain in the NYSNA Health Fund (Plan A) with no reduction in benefits, no increase in out-of-pocket costs and that the employer contributes to the plan at the rate proposed by the union-side trustees. Ari Moma, Interfaith Medical Center BU President and a trustee on the NYSNA Benefits Fund, let management know that they need to respect RNs by preserving health benefits as is.
• Wyckoff Heights Medical Center: Bosses at Wyckoff also seem to be stalling on economic issues, as we continue to fight for increased contributions to our benefit fund. NYSNA RNs have come to tentative agreements with management on several non-economic issues.

11-09 Bargaining Highlights

• Montefiore: At their Speak out, Montefiore nurses sounded the alarm on the health system’s plan to shut down the Nurse-Family Partnership program, saying that the closure could put Bronx families at risk. The following Monday, Montefiore announced that their plan to end the program was put on indefinite hold. At the table, NYSNA’s bargaining team put forward comprehensive solutions to build a pipeline and recruit new nurses into the profession, to create 62 new NP positions to bolster primary care in the Bronx, to stop abusive shift rotation, and to initiate a professional practice forum for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs).
• Mount Sinai: NYSNA nurses gave presentations to management on healthcare for active members and for retirees. Members are calling on management to adequately fund our current benefits. Management has also yet to extend our retiree health coverage negotiated in the last contract cycle, which ends at the end of this month on November 30, leaving our retirees with no coverage and no answers.
• NewYork-Presbyterian: Management agreed to some key health and safety procedures, but nurses are still pushing hard for joint assessments on PPE and other safety equipment and to have a voice in preparing for future healthcare crises.
• Flushing Hospital Medical Center: NYSNA members are making steady progress at the table and recently reached several tentative agreements, including recognition of the Juneteenth holiday, increases in education and certification differentials, and movement for a new PhD differential.
• Maimonides Medical Center: Nurses have made progress in three negotiation sessions, winning tentative agreements on the Juneteenth holiday and time paid, alternative work schedule. At the last session, we agreed to sign off on employees' lounge, rest period and meal period, and an agreement scope to include transitional care nurse, nurse reviewer, and case manager. Ten members came to observe negotiations, including Hilary James, RN, who gave a passionate testimonial for preserving the nurses' healthcare.

11-01 Bargaining Highlights

• Mount Sinai: Nurses held speakouts at three Mount Sinai facilities last week. Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, member of the Assembly Health Committee, State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, alongside nearly 20 other elected leaders put out statements in support of Mt. Sinai nurses. When we came back to the bargaining table later in the week, management was ready to talk! We came to tentative agreements on 5 clauses in our contract. And we’re looking forward to more!
• NewYork-Presbyterian: Over 100 nurses held a speakout at NY Presbyterian on Monday. The action made the NBC evening news.
• BronxCare: Nurses delivered their giant petition to the AVP of nursing to demand safe staffing, fair standards and establishing Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
• Brooklyn Hospital Center: Nurses were joined by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon and made their voices heard loud and clear.
• Montefiore: hundreds of nurses showed up en force at the Monte speak out and were joined by community allies and elected leaders. News12 covered the action.

10-26 Bargaining Highlights

• Mount Sinai: After delivering signed petitions, marching on the boss, and holding a sticker day action, Mount Sinai Hospital nurses won face-to-face negotiations and had their first session last week. In addition, management agreed to fully incorporate Juneteenth as a recognized paid holiday.
• Montefiore (Moses and Weiler): After delivering a bargaining platform petition with over 2,000 signatures to management, NYSNA nurses were just getting warmed up! NYSNA members at Montefiore signed huge petition boards all across the Bronx, letting management know it's time to listen to the nurses.
• Maimonides Medical Center: NYSNA RNs held our first bargaining session with hospital management on October 10th and we presented a full set of comprehensive proposals. We stand united in our fight for a contract that ensures our community, our patients and our profession have what we need to continue to provide the level of care our patients deserve.
• Brooklyn Hospital Center: RNs had their first bargaining session and presented their proposals to management. We let the bosses know that we won’t accept any give-backs and are standing firm in our fight for a fair contract.
• One Brooklyn Health (Kingsbrook and Interfaith): Our committees finished drafting the blended language for the joint Kingsbrook-Interfaith contract, and are scheduled to meet again to finalize our improvements.
• Flushing Hospital Medical Center: NYSNA members have had two bargaining sessions with management and won four TAs including one to add gender identity to the list of protected classes, and one to split the MCH float pool between in-patient and out-patient units.
• Wyckoff Heights Medical Center: RNs have had two bargaining sessions and won three TAs. Our committee proposed ending floating altogether as a way to try to settle ongoing arbitration around floating.
• Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home: NYSNA members let management know that we won’t accept any of the concessions on healthcare and PTO that they put on the table and we are continuing to fight to get management to engage with us on safe staffing.