Unsafe conditions, low pay, burnout, and COVID-19 are leading more than 7,000 nurses at two New York City hospitals to walk off the job. On Monday, January 9, 2023, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) said that bargaining late into the night had not led to any agreements to keep nurses on the job.
The strike affects Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals and union insists that it is in an effort to improve patient care.
The hospitals were prepared for the strike, planning to pay temporary traveling nurses to fill in for strikers and to transfer some patients to other facilities. Montefiore Hospital also released a notice to staff on how to quit the union and stay on the job if they wanted.
Strikes among are more common than ever. Cornell University released a new report for 2022 saying strikes were up 43 percent from the previous year. The US Labor Department, which tracks only strikes with more than 1,000 workers, says strikes of that size are up 33 percent over the same period.
The US Surgeon General says that health workers are at an increased risk for mental health challenges as a result of distressing environments that strain their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. The result is more difficulty providing patient care.
The North Carolina Medical Society is focused on protecting the health and well-being of our members and health professionals across the state. For resources available to you now click here.
For a more in-depth look at the strike in New York City click here.
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Richard Max