NYC Mayor Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders to join striking nurses on picket line
There's no end in sight for the New York City nurses strike, which has stretched into its second week.
Nurses went on strike nine days ago, and say they're not backing down from what they're demanding from the city's three major hospital systems - NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai Health, and Montefiore.
The nurses are cold and exhausted. Negotiations remain at a standstill, and no additional negotiations are scheduled. NewYork-Presbyterian said it's working with a mediator to schedule the next bargaining session.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are expected to join striking nurses on the picket line Tuesday. Mamdani stood by the nurses on the first day of their strike.
The New York State Nurses Association is calling for better staffing ratios, protection from workplace violence, and improved healthcare benefits.
"We are so fortunate to have the support of our community and allies, who truly energize our movement as we picket through the bitter cold. We need hospital management to understand that we are out here fighting for the safety of our patients and nurses, so that every patient can have a qualified nurse at their bedside. Hospital management must take action to maintain our health benefits, guarantee enforceable safe staffing, and make hospitals safer workplaces," NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said.
The hospitals continue to push back, calling the union's demands unreasonable. NewYork-Presbyterian says its nurses are among the highest paid in the city, and says NYSNA's demands are "unrealistic," calling for a 25% wage hike over three years.
Hundreds of nurses have shown up each day on the picket line. Many say they'd rather been inside caring for patients, but until there's progress, they're staying put.
"I've been loyal to them since my 20s. I've always been there and made so many sacrifices - holidays, leaving my family," one nurse said.
"Despite our best efforts to negotiate, a near-term path to an agreement is very unlikely. Over the weekend, our operational teams extended our plans to run the Health System without the support of the nurses NYSNA leadership has convinced to strike," Mt. Sinai Health CEO Brendan Carr said in a statement Monday.