Long island Nurses are fighting for Patient safety and Winning

Long Island nurses have had an empowering and energizing first half of 2023. Nurses have demonstrated their organizing power by voting in overwhelming numbers to join the union and marching on the boss and delivering petitions for safe staffing. They’re also showing that they are willing to do whatever it takes for their patients by voting for and delivering strike notices and fighting to get the contracts they deserve.

we Are Powerful and Growing

On Jan. 13, the approximately 800 nurses at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside voted to join NYSNA, cementing wall-to-wall unionization at Mount Sinai health system facilities. South Nassau nurses banded together to make their lives and their patients’ lives better and organized to have a seat at the table to improve care and uplift standards at the hospital. They’re currently in negotiations for their first contract.

south shore Nurses Fight and win

At the end of Feb., NYSNA nurses at Northwell Health’s South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore voted to approve a new contract that raised their salaries nearly 19%, and they won an expedited arbitration of staffing disputes three days before they were set to strike. As the facility hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Long Island, they were dealing with burnout and staffing shortages. The nurses pushed for safe staffing measures and the respectful wages and benefits that would increase nurse recruitment and retention. Before reaching a deal, nurses escalated their campaign by voting overwhelmingly to authorize a strike and then marching on the boss to deliver a strike notice on Valentine’s Day, packing the hallway to show their unity and strength.

Nurses also launched targeted advertisements that highlighted Northwell Health’s pattern of putting profits before patients with mobile billboards and digital ads on social media. At every turn, nurses expressed that their central concern was safe staffing and their ability to provide excellent care to their patients. In the end, South Shore nurses showed their collective power, won an excellent contract and put the entire Northwell Health system on notice. This victory also set a precedent for Long Island nurses at other facilities who were inspired to fight for strong contracts and for their patients as they entered negotiations.

Catholic Health on a roll

With Catholic Health Services hospital contracts at St. Joseph and St. Charles expiring at the end of March and St. Catherine of Siena’s contract set to expire at the end of July, nurses from all three hospitals have shown they are willing to mobilize in numbers never before seen at these facilities to improve conditions for nurses and patients.

In May, nurses at St. Joseph settled a contract with increased wages and staffing wins for nurses. Nurses at St. Charles Hospital had to take additional steps to pressure management to settle a fair contract. On May 9, over one-third of the entire nursing staff at St. Charles marched to deliver a petition to President James O’Connor and protest management’s rejection of nearly all union proposals while it failed to give an initial response on the key issue of safe staffing. Since the march, nurses have faced retaliation and intimidation from management. Instead of relenting, they’ve continued to pack the room during bargaining sessions and push their bargaining priorities of safe staffing ratios, increased nurse wages, Juneteenth added as a holiday and an expediated arbitration process.

Victory for st. Charles Nurses

On June 1, St. Charles nurses voted to authorize a strike with a whopping 97.5% of nurses turning out to vote and 99.6% of them voting yes. They delivered a strike notice the next day after a disappointing day at the bargaining table. Thankfully, their commitment to reach an agreement led to a tentative deal the day after the strike notice was delivered. St. Charles nurses ratified a strong contract on June 6 with 97.4% voting yes. Nurses won staffing ratios in their contract for the first time, expediated enforcement language, an average wage increase of 20.5%, Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day as premium holidays, and more.

NYSNA President at St. Charles, Rob Barone, RN, reflected on what the contract means for nurses: “From the beginning, we made it clear this was a fight for patient safety. This agreement will not only improve staffing ratios, it will empower nurses to enforce safe staffing for our patients and provide us with the respectful wages and benefits we deserve.”

This latest victory makes it clear that Long Island nurses are energized, empowered and ready to do whatever it takes to protect their patients and the future of the nursing profession.