Thousands of nurses from the New York State Nurses Association have authorized a strike at multiple leading New York City hospitals if contract negotiations with management break down in the near future, according to Bloomberg.
No strike date has been set. However, the union, which is negotiating on behalf of 18,000 nurses in New York City's private hospitals, could direct nurses from the following facilities — The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai Roosevelt, Montefiore Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital — to issue a 10-day strike notice whenever the nurses choose, according to the NYC Hospital Alliance, a multi-employer bargaining group comprised of the aforementioned five hospitals.
The union has also taken strike authorization votes at Maimonides Hospital and Staten Island University Hospital.
Here are four things to know about the ongoing negotiations.
1. Since January, the NYC Hospital Alliance, on behalf of the members, has been negotiating with the union.
2. The NYC Hospital Alliance has offered 10 percent wage increases over four years and agreed to continue the existing benefits package.
3. The nurses said they want their contracts to include language that would require minimum staffing levels to protect the safety of patients and staff, according to Bloomberg.
4. The NYC Hospital Alliance said each of the hospitals has put together contingency plans in the event of a work stoppage.
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