Montefiore RNs serve notice to strike Jan. 10

Meanwhile, nurses reach contract agreement at Mount Sinai

NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2011 – As one New York State Nurses Association local bargaining unit resolved its contract dispute Tuesday evening, another was left with no other choice but to serve the employer with a strike notice.

At Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, management refused during a lengthy negotiating session Tuesday night to offer substantial progress. So the negotiating committee for the 2,300 RNs served management with a required 10-day notice of intent to strike, starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

While RNs at other major New York City hospitals have been working to address concerns about health insurance coverage, Montefiore RNs have also been trying to resolve long-standing problems with short staffing. Many of Montefiore’s nurses are being assigned an increasing number of patients, which means less time available to focus on each patient. Studies have shown that hospitals with lower RN-to-patient staffing have higher patient outcome complications.

This is also taking a toll on the RNs themselves. “More of our RNs are working without any breaks, they’re leaving late. They’re exhausted,” said Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, RN, president of Montefiore’s Moses Division. “We’re able to take care of our patients. But it’s getting harder every day.”

Montefiore nurses have been working without a new contract since December 2010. The next negotiating session is scheduled for Dec. 30.

Earlier Tuesday evening in Manhattan, RNs at Mount Sinai Hospital reached a tentative agreement with hospital management. The 2,200 members will vote on the four-year pact from Jan. 3 to 5. Details of the contract will be released after ratification. RNs had voted on Dec. 1 to authorize a strike, but the notice was not served.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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