26 Major NYC Unions Sign Letter in Support of Staten Island Nurses

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Contact: Eliza Bates | press@nysna.org | 646-285-8491
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489 

26 Major NYC Unions Sign Letter in Support of Staten Island Nurses

1,300 NYSNA members at Staten Island University Hospital-Northwell will strike on April 2 if management fails to settle a fair contract that protects care for Staten Island

Unions call on Northwell to settle a fair contract and “commit to safe, quality care for every community it serves.”

Staten Island, N.Y.– Today, Wednesday, March 27, Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH)/ Northwell) nurses delivered a giant blow-up solidarity letter signed by 26 major labor unions to hospital management. The New York City labor movement is sounding the alarm on how unsafe staffing levels and below-market pay for Staten Island nurses is harming quality patient care. The letter signers, including the Communications Workers of America, 32BJ SEIU, DC 37 and Teamsters Local 804 call on Northwell to settle a fair contract with nurses and to protect care for Staten Island.

1,300 NYSNA members at SIUH-Northwell are slated to go on strike on April 2nd unless hospital administrators agree to a fair union contract that keeps enough experienced nurses at the bedside to provide safe patient care to Staten Island.

“Too many SIUH nurses are leaving Staten Island to find nursing jobs in the other four boroughs,” the letter reads. “Nurses are dedicated to serving their Staten Island community but are being pushed to seek other opportunities because of SIUH’s lower pay and unsafe staffing levels. Staten Island is the only borough without an acute care public hospital. Given Northwell-SIUH’s near monopoly on healthcare on Staten Island, our community’s care will continue to suffer until pay and unsafe staffing levels are fixed.

Vinnie Perrone, President of Teamsters Local 804, said, "Our families, friends, and loved ones depend on good quality healthcare in Staten Island and we know that nurses always have the interest of patients at heart. That's why we are unwavering in our support for NYSNA nurses and proud to sign the labor solidarity letter. Teamsters Local 804 members are never afraid of a fight, and we're ready to stand with our Staten Island nurses to do whatever it takes to win a fair union contract."

SIUH-Northwell nurse Elaine Minew, RN, said, “The delivery drivers, city workers, janitors, and firefighters who come to us for care know that without nurses, they can’t get the quality care they need. We are grateful for the support of our union siblings across New York City, and especially here on Staten Island. United, we can win a fair contract that keeps experienced nurses at the bedsides of Staten Island patients.”

Photos of the letter delivery can be found on www.facebook.com/nynurses. Media outlets have permission to use all videos and pictures from NYSNA’s social media feeds with credit to NYSNA.

Northwell recently announced a $19.2 billion merger with Nuvance Health but eliminated pharmacists on the hospital floors of SIUH, forcing nurses away from patient bedsides for sometimes an hour or more to seek out urgently needed medications.

Northwell is opening a new birthing center building in Staten Island yet has failed to provide a safe staffing plan for the facility. Nurses are concerned about how unsafe staffing levels could hurt moms and babies in Staten Island. While spending big on mergers, expansions, and ad campaigns, Northwell has said at the bargaining table that regardless of any increases in patient traffic or new buildings or units, they will not increase nurse staffing to meet the needs of the Staten Island community. Staten Island nurses say they are focused on quality care for their own community, but that Northwell cares more about making money than investing in safe staffing.

On March 13, nurses held a speak-out in front of the hospital and announced that they had voted in favor of authorizing a strike by over 97 percent. The strike authorization vote came on the heels of overwhelming strike votes at other NYSNA-represented facilities, including most recently Northwell Long Island Jewish Valley Stream, Peconic Bay Medical Center, and North Shore University Hospital on Long Island. Those Northwell hospitals settled fair contracts with NYSNA nurses and averted strikes. Approximately a year ago, 7,000 NYSNA nurses at two New York City hospitals went on strike before reaching historic contract agreements. The Northwell-SIUH contract expires on March 31.   

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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.