More than 7,000 nurses are on strike at two NYC hospitals, stating that low wages and staffing levels have squeezed workers.
Nurses at two major hospitals in New York City have gone on strike, citing low wages and staffing levels that have left many exhausted several years into the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, about 3,600 nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and as many as 3,500 at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx started their strike.
KEEP READING
list of 3 items
‘Enough’: Nurses in UK to go on strike for first time in history
‘Overworked’: US nurses strike over low pay, staffing shortages
‘Scarred for life’: Australia COVID wave heaps pressure on nurses
end of list
“We were heroes only two years ago,” said Warren Urquhart, a nurse in transplant and oncology units. “We was on the front lines of the city when everything came to a stop. And now we need to come to a stop so they can understand how much we mean to this hospital and to the patients.”
The COVID-19 pandemic filled United States hospitals and heaped strain on medical workers, many of whom began to reconsider their future in the profession as hospitals saw large profits. According to a 2022 survey by ShiftMed, about two-thirds of nurses said that they were considering leaving the profession within two years.
The nurse’s union, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), has said that staffing shortages at the New York City hospitals have left some workers caring for twice as many patients as is normal.
“We can no longer sustain what’s happening,” Michelle Gonzalez, a registered nurse at Montefiore, told Al Jazeera. “We’ve been trying so hard to tell the hospital to make changes. We don’t want to do this but we feel like we have no other options.”
Jed Basubas said that he cares for between eight and 10 patients at a time, and nurse practitioner Juliet Escalon said that she sometimes skips bathroom breaks to attend to patients. Ashleigh Woodside said that her 12-hour operating room shifts frequently become 14-hour ones, as low staffing levels push workers to take on longer shifts.
Elected officials have weighed in, some offering words of encouragement.
“Nurses have been through hell and back for their patients,” said New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman. “I stand with NYSNA nurses as they fight for fair workplace conditions.”