More than 7,000 nurses go on strike in NYC demanding better pay, more staffing

More than 7,000 nurses at two hospitals in New York City went on strike early Monday morning demanding better pay, better working conditions and more staffing.

The strike began at 6 a.m. after nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Harlem failed to reach an agreement with hospital administration during a bargaining session Sunday night, according to the New York State Nurses' Association.

"These nurses are dedicated professionals who provide quality patient care under unimaginable conditions day in and day out that were exacerbated by the pandemic," Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, a labor union, said in a statement Monday. "Now they are faced with the added challenge of short staffing that has reached critical levels and could compromise their ability to provide the best quality care to their patients."

"It is time for the hospitals to treat these nurses fairly, with the dignity and respect they deserve, and to negotiate in good faith, quickly, to ensure nurses can get back to serving their communities by providing superior care to their patients," the statement continued.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/more-than-7-000-nurses-go-on-strike-in-this-city-demanding-better-pay-more-staffing/ar-AA168AoF