Nearly 15,000nursesfrom prominent New York City hospitals are striking as they say hospital management threatens drastic cuts to health care benefits.
The New York State Nurses Association said it launched the strike, alleging management at hospitals at Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian refused to "ensure safety for nurses and patients."
The strike began at 6 a.m. ET on Jan. 12.
"After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections, forcing nearly 15,000 nurses out on the largest nurse strike in New York City history," a news releaseannouncingthe strike states.
USA TODAY has reached out to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Mount Sinai for comment.
What are the striking nurses fighting for?
The nurses said they'd been fighting for safe staffing for patients, health care benefits for nurses and workplace violence protections for months but have not made progress. Earlier this month, a fatal shooting occurred inside NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and an active shooter incident took place at Mount Sinai Medical Center in November.
Though the striking nurses are predominantly from city hospitals, the association says the lack of a deal with management will impact nearly 27,000 nurses at over 50 hospitals in the state enrolled in the association's health benefit plan.
Hospital management has responded to requests with retaliation, intimidation and stalling while flaunting more than $100 million that's been spent on temporary replacement nurses, the association said in a written statement.
What are city leaders saying?
Speaking at anews conferenceon Jan. 12, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: "At every one of our city's darkest periods, nurses showed up to work. Their value is not negotiable and their worth is not up for debate."
"We know that during 9/11 it was nurses that tended to the wounded. We know that during the global pandemic, it was nurses that came into work even at the expense of their own health. They showed up even when we didn't have protective equipment for them. They showed up even as others were staying home.
"Bottom line: They showed up," he added.
Nurse shares allegations of workplace violence
Tanya Fisher Morales, an emergency department holding nurse at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said she and other nurses at her hospital have experienced workplace violence.
"I've been grabbed and scratched by patients," she said, adding that just last week, one of her coworkers was punched in the chest and is out on medical leave. A week before that incident, a nurse was punched in the eye, she continued.
"Every week, nurses are injured in incidents of workplace violence at our hospital," she said, noting there are not enough nurses to take care of patients flooding the hospital's emergency department.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NYC nurses at major hospitals strike for health care benefits
