Several years into the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses at two major hospitals in New York City have gone on strike in protest of poor pay and staffing levels that have left them tired.
Around 3,600 nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and up to 3,500 at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx began their strike on Monday.
Nurse at the transplant and oncology units Warren Urquhart remarked, “We were heroes just two years ago. “When everything came to a stop, we were in the center of the city. Now we have to stop so they can see how important we are to this hospital and the patients.
As the COVID-19 pandemic flooded American hospitals and put a pressure on medical personnel, many of them started to question their future in the field as hospitals made significant profits. About two-thirds of nurses stated they were considering leaving the field within the next two years, according to a ShiftMed survey from 2022.
According to the nurse’s organization, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), staffing shortages at the hospitals in New York City have forced some employees to care for twice as many patients as is typical.
According to Michelle Gonzalez, a registered nurse at Montefiore, “We can no longer maintain what is happening.” “We’ve worked so hard to urge the hospital to change. Although we feel we have no other options, we must do this.
Nurse practitioner Juliet Escalon admitted that she occasionally forgoes restroom breaks in order to care for patients, while Jed Basubas estimated that he tends to eight to ten patients at once. As a result of inadequate staffing levels, Ashleigh Woodside said that her 12-hour operating room shifts regularly turn into 14-hour ones.
Elected officials have commented, some of whom have positive words.
According to New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman, “nurses have gone through hell and back for their patients.” “I support the nurses of the NYSNA in their quest for equitable working conditions.”
Montefiore and Mount Sinai stated they will use temporary staff members, reroute ambulances to other hospitals, and delay non-emergency surgeries as a way to minimize inconveniences during the strike.
More than 170 additional nurses would be hired, according to Montefiore, and Mount Sinai said that it had made headway in recruiting and hiring new nurses despite a nationwide lack of healthcare personnel.
The union leadership’s decision may cause anxiety and uncertainty throughout our community, but we remain committed to providing seamless and compassionate treatment, Montefiore added. “New York City has a sad day today.”
The union was labeled “reckless” by Mount Sinai.
“We adore what we do. Our goal is to look after our patients. But all we want is to do it safely, humanely, and in a way that makes us feel valued, said Woodside, a nurse of eight years.
In the beginning, the NYSNA had said that additional hospitals, totaling roughly 16,000 nurses, may go on strike on the same day as Mount Sinai and Montefiore.
However, a number of them have made provisional deals, which has decreased the likelihood of the strikes. On Saturday, nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital came to a tentative agreement that would improve staffing levels and raise pay by 18% over the course of three years.
The union and seven additional New York City hospitals have signed tentative agreements since contract talks began four months ago.
