**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TODAY, DEC. 22 AT NOON**: NYSNA RNs to Hold Press Conference to Announce Outcome of Strike Authorization Vote for 17,000 NYC Private Sector Nurses Whose Contracts Expire Dec. 31
Contact: Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
Eliza M. Bates | eliza.bates@nysna.org | 646-285-8491
Nurses have been sounding the alarm on the short-staffing crisis that puts patients at risk during a tripledemic; they say hospitals created this crisis and aren’t doing enough to keep frontline nurses at the bedside
New York, NY - Today, Thursday, December 22 at 12:00 p.m. Noon, NYSNA nurses will hold a press conference to announce the outcome of ongoing strike authorization votes at 12 NYC private sector hospitals with union contracts expiring December 31st. RNs have been speaking out and sounding the alarm about the short-staffing crisis puts patients at risk, especially during a tripledemic of COVID, RSV and flu. Nurses say hospitals aren’t doing enough to keep caregivers at the bedside, and instead of working with COVID nurse heroes, in some cases, are even threatening to cut their healthcare benefits.
WHAT: NYSNA press conference to announce outcome of strike authorization vote for 17,000 NYC private sector nurses
WHERE: NYSNA’s NYC office, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 131 W. 33rd St, New York, NY 10001
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. Noon
Background:
Approximately 17,000 NYSNA members at twelve hospitals in New York City, including some of the biggest private hospitals such as Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian have contracts expiring on Dec. 31. Last week, hospitals leaked to the press that nurses are in the midst of strike authorization votes.
Hospital executives paid themselves millions in sky-high salaries and bonuses during the pandemic at the same time they hiked hospital prices. Nurses are calling for their bosses to put patients over profits and invest in hiring and retaining enough nurses to keep their patients safe.
Instead of supporting nurses, many of whom contracted COVID-19 at work while saving lives, hospital trustees of the NYSNA benefit fund are looking to cut healthcare for RNs. When they get sick, nurses often turn to their own hospitals for care. But some NYC hospitals have been jacking up fees for healthcare services, meaning they’re profiting from getting nurses sick, and now they don’t want to pay the bill.
Hospitals have even engaged in unfair and unlawful behavior, trying to silence RNs from speaking out about safe staffing, spying on and questioning RNs about the union and safe staffing advocacy, interfering with union rights and discriminating and retaliating against union members.
With two-thirds of RNs across the country saying they are planning to leave the profession in the next two years, NYSNA nurses are sounding the alarm on the staffing crisis that has left caregivers burnt out and at their breaking point. Nurses say that hospitals are not doing enough to keep them at the bedside – from safe staffing ratios to good healthcare benefits to competitive pay.
Nurses have been detailing how chronic understaffing in hospitals is unsafe for patients and nurses. Patients suffer and experience worse health outcomes when nursing care is rushed or delayed due to understaffing. They are urging hospitals to maintain safe staffing standards in all hospitals as a matter of health equity and quality care for all.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.
For more information, visit nysna.org.