Unionized nurses from 13 New York City facilities participated in a day of protest Feb. 13, prompted by complaints of poor working conditions and inadequate staffing by nurses at three New York health systems, according to CBS New York.
The New York State Nurses Association estimated that thousands of nurses protested at Montefiore, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian locations across the city. However, the New York City Hospital Alliance puts the number of participatng nurses at about 600 — roughly the same as previous informational picketing.
Nurses’ complaints were pulled from official "protests of assignment'' documents signed by nurses, which the New York City Hospital Alliance noted represent a small fraction of all scheduled shifts over a year.
The nurses are currently in negotiations with the alliance.
Staffing has been a key sticking point in negotiations. The union has argued for improved nurse staffing ratios, while the alliance argues for a "patient-first approach to staffing that is built on tailored, flexible staffing plans — designed by experienced nurses that have proven to best meet the individual and ever-changing needs of patients."
Before the protests, an alliance spokesperson told Becker's, "We respect the right of NYSNA members to engage in informational picketing with proper notice. This is not a strike and will not interfere with normal operations. All alliance hospitals will continue to provide the high quality care that New Yorkers depend on."
Additional bargaining sessions are scheduled this month and in March.
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