NEW YORK (AP) — New York City nurses on strike say they’ve restarted contract talks with another major hospital system affected by the ongoing walkout, which is now in its fifth day.
The New York State Nurses Association reported on Friday that its bargaining team met with representatives from the three impacted Mount Sinai hospitals at the request of a mediator.
On Thursday evening, the union convened discussions with NewYork-Presbyterian hospital officials alongside a federal mediator, marking the first negotiations since approximately 15,000 nurses walked off the job Monday.
Both parties noted that the extensive meeting resulted in little progress towards resolving the largest strike of its type seen in the city in decades.
The hospital released a statement indicating that discussions centered around the union's staffing concerns but labeled the union's proposals as unreasonable.
The union countered that they had revised proposals, which were rejected by the hospital without alternative suggestions. Observations included about 70 nurses, as the proceedings were eventually opened to regular union members past midnight.
Both sides stated there are currently no further meeting plans. While we continue to be far apart, we are committed to bargaining in good faith, said NewYork-Presbyterian. They emphasized their commitment to safe staffing, claiming to have the best staffing ratios in the city.
Meanwhile, negotiations have not yet restarted with Montefiore, the third major hospital impacted. The union had previously expected to meet with officials from the Bronx-based health care provider on Friday, but the hospital disputed that assertion, stating no meeting was arranged.
“NYSNA nurses respect the mediators and are ready and willing to come to the bargaining table when they call,” said Nancy Hagans, president of the nurses’ union. “We urge hospital executives to do the same.”
Each medical center is negotiating independently with the union, and not every hospital within the three health care systems is affected by the strike. The hospitals involved report operations as running smoothly, having hired thousands of temporary nurses to maintain emergency rooms and other critical facilities during the strike.
Dr. Philip Ozuah, president of Montefiore Einstein in the Bronx, praised the staff still on duty, saying, Another day, another miracle. Many thanks to our amazing teams; our most complex and exacting mission continues…providing life-saving care.
