The New York City Hospital Alliance has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the New York State Nurses Association, after the union announced an April 2 strike.
The alliance — which represents Mount Sinai Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Mount Sinai West/St. Luke's Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center — alleges that the union engaged in bad-faith bargaining in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.
The union "has failed and refused to bargain collectively and in good faith with the NYC Hospital Alliance and its member hospitals concerning terms of a new collective bargaining agreement by preconditioning negotiations over nurse staffing issues on the alliance's acceptance in principle of mandatory staffing ratios; and serving a 10-day strike notice on March 18, 2019, and threatening to strike on Apri1 2, 2019, in furtherance of NYSNA's unlawful position regarding staffing ratios," the alliance charged.
On March 18, unionized registered nurses in New York City revealed the strike plans at Montefiore, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian locations.
The union said nurses are striking because hospitals will not hire enough bedside caregivers, which forces nurses to care for up to 19 patients at one time and negatively affects patients.
Staffing has been a sticking point in negotiations. The union has supported mandated staffing ratios, while an alliance spokesperson said the group instead supports "a patient-first approach to staffing that is built on tailored, flexible staffing plans — designed by experienced nurses."
The alliance spokesperson encouraged union leadership to return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith "to significantly increase nurses' salaries, fully fund their benefits, and improve hospitals' tailored, flexible staffing plans to provide the best patient care."
Editor's note: Becker's has contacted the union for an updated comment and will post more details as they become available.
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