A nurse holds a sign during a strike at Mount Sinai hospital in New York on 9 January 2023. loomberg/Getty ImagesA nurse holds a sign during a strike at Mount Sinai hospital in New York on 9 January 2023. loomberg/Getty ImagesThousands of New York City nurses set to strike amid contract dispute over payNearly 16,000 nurses set to join union-led strike Monday to demand large hospitals across NYC ‘put patients over profit’Nearly 16,000 nurses in New York City are set to strike on Monday amid a battle over pay during contract negotiations. The action, due to take place across five large hospitals, is being organized by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which is demanding the hospitals put patients over profit. The hospitals insist they continue to bargain in good faith, and have accused the union of trying to disrupt patient care. US House breaks with Trump to revive Affordable Care Act subsidiesRead moreCEO compensation at three hospitals – Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and New York Presbyterian – is nearly 12,000 times more than that of the average nurse, according to the union. Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, who has worked at Maimonides medical center in Brooklyn for over 30 years, told the Guardian that the hospitals are pushing to scale back safe staffing ratios, refusing to guarantee healthcare benefit coverage for nurses, and declining to address workplace safety issues. Three of the major hospitals involved in contract negotiations have $1.6bn cash or cash equivalent on hand, according to the union, which said they have already started hiring travel nurses to replace those striking in preparation for a strike.“What we are asking them is to take those millions and invest it into the community so we could continue to work to care for our patients, invest it into staffing, invest those millions into our medical coverage so we could come to work,” said Hagans.
