Week of Action: Nurses Speak Out for Fair Contracts and Safe Staffing

Private-sector nurses spoke out for fair contracts and safe staffing at several facilities during the October 24 Week of Action. From Long Island to Brooklyn to the Bronx, NYSNA members sounded the alarm on the staffing crisis that has left caregivers burned out and at their breaking point. As more than 30,000 NYSNA nurses are currently bargaining, members made waves and made news by demanding healthcare executives listen to nurses and take action to protect them and their patients.

Nurses from NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, Brooklyn Hospital Center, and Montefiore held speak outs against the bare-bones staffing conditions they are forced to work under, depriving patients of much-needed care. As Mount Sinai nurse Sandra Reid, RN, said, “It is past time we had safe staffing and respect. I love my patients and my colleagues, but I don’t love the super short staffing on my unit. Our staffing is so short that when one person goes on vacation, we’re down to only 2 nurses on the floor for 20 or 21 patients. Instead of hiring more nurses or staffing safely on every shift, managers make nurses feel ostracized for calling out sick or trying to take a vacation. Nurses are burnt out and tired of being disrespected.”