St. Elizabeth and Samaritan RNs announce 1-day strikes

Hot summer days haven’t slowed down NYSNA members at St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Samaritan Hospital in their pursuit of fair contracts that improve staffing levels. At their August 15 contract negotiating session, St. Elizabeth nurses delivered a 10-day strike notice to management. The very next day, NYSNA members at Samaritan Medical Center walked in their own 10-day notice to hospital management. Nurses at the two hospitals plan one-day strikes on September 1.

While negotiating independent contracts, the nurses have coordinated community outreach in an attempt to increase public awareness of the negative impact of short staffing on healthcare outcomes.