On Tuesday February 17, around 40 people gathered on the Upper East Side to voice their support for the 4200 NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Nurses as they continue their strike, 6 weeks in, for safer staffing.
The supporters, which consisted of not only nurses, but CUNY students, passerbyers, and those sympathetic to the cause, assembled on 68th St and 1st Ave before making their way to 71st St and 1st Ave, where the recently named CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Brian Donley, resides.
Police were in attendance at the picketing at Donley’s residence and although it wasn’t confirmed if Donley was home or not, and despite the ongoing cold, the supporters marched for around an hour outside the entrance to the building chanting phrases led by nurses with two megaphones such as “The Union united, will never be defeated” as well as “What’s this about? Patient care. Always about? Patient care.”
A sea of red hats, scarves, and signs; the supporters accompanied the chanting with trumpets and plastic clapping hands, as passing trucks honked in solidarity which further strengthened their resolve. The nurses marched the picket line not only at Donley’s residence, but continued down 72nd St, collecting supporters on the way. One nurse even brought her young daughter.
Last week, when mediators met with NewYork-Presbyterian Nurses, they rejected the mediator’s proposal, voting to continue their strike demanding safer staffing and layoff protections. This comes after nurses at Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West ratified agreements last Tuesday and Wednesday after four weeks of striking, with some returning to work as early as last Saturday.
A spokesperson from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has confirmed that NYP nurses are meeting with mediators this week in hopes of making progress towards settling a fair contract. The key issue remains safe staffing. NYP nurses have been receiving support from the nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai who have settled their contracts, and it remains to be seen if NYP nurses will be able to reach a similar agreement later in the week.
Jocelyn, a registered nurse at Columbia NYP, referring to NYP added that “the hospital is refusing to come to the table” and that during their six-week strike, NYP hospital has only met up with them a handful of times. When asked about her feelings on the other hospitals reaching tentative agreements, she responded that she feels angry and upset that NYP and Donley can’t do the same for them “despite them being the richest of the three hospitals.”
NYSNA’s President Nancy Hagans reiterates this sentiment claiming that NYP is “one of the richest hospitals in the state” and how despite being more than able to staff their hospitals, “they choose not to”. “We will continue harboring and bothering them until they decide to speak with us,” Jocelyn continued.
A spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian has commented in response to WBAI’s inquiry into why a decision was not made on February 10 and as of today, saying that “we are disappointed that our nurses did not ratify the mediators’ proposal” and that NYP believe such a proposal is “fair and reasonable and reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role that they play” stating that these mediators are among the most “respected and experienced neutral negotiators, after months of bargaining.”
“The proposal includes the same wage increases for all three hospitals (4% each year), preserves the pension plan, maintains our nurses’ health benefits, and increases staffing levels (65 additional staff over three years),” the spokesperson explained, adding that as of Wednesday “Mount Sinai and Montefiore’s 10,500 nurses combined ratified their aligned proposals,”
They state further the cruciality of the decision at hand as it will “directly affect New York City’s safety net hospitals”. They also state that they “remain willing to honor the current proposal for reconsideration”, as the next bargaining session has been set for this Thursday, adding “we are inviting our nurses to return to work if they choose”.
However, a recent victory for NewYork-Presbyterian nurses might have contributed to helping fuel their continued fight. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) have stated that their members at NYP Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital’s (CHONY) paediatric intensive care unit won an arbitration award on February 16. This came after unsafe staffing levels were tracked in the unit from January 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.
According to NYSNA, the arbitrator determined that the hospital had violated safe staffing provisions over 600 times, with the nurses awarded nearly $400,000 in respect of this. However, NYP have appealed the decision, as well as others, meaning that the nurses have not yet received any financial compensation.
Amalia, a member of the Internationalist club at CUNY, spoke of the need to show solidarity and support for these nurses because “the strike is not only historic, but super important”. She commented on the energy of the strike, describing it as “lively” as she commended the nurses for their bravery. “CUNY students travel across the country to go to picket lines in their club to show solidarity with workers who are on strike […] New York is a union town, so it’s important to show support’.
This echoes the sentiment of the handmade signs present at this strike; “Union busting is disgusting”, “Scabs out now”, and “All labor must support Presby Nurses – Picket Lines mean Don’t Cross”.
As the situation evolves, those who WBAI spoke to on the picket line on Tuesday remain steadfast in their resolve for safer staffing and layoff protections as negotiations continue this week for the nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
