Nurses go on strike at 2 big New York City hospitals

NEW YORK — Thousands of nurses went on strike Monday at two of New York City’s major hospitals after contract negotiations stalled over staffing and salaries nearly three years into the coronavirus pandemic. Mount Sinai’s administration said the union’s focus on nurse-to-patient ratios “ignores the progress we have made to attract and hire more new nurses, despite a global shortage of healthcare workers that is impacting hospitals across the country.” The hospitals said Monday that they had prepared for the strike and were working to minimize the disruption. Mount Sinai called the union’s behavior “reckless,” while Montefiore said the strike was sparking “fear and uncertainty across our community.” “In my opinion, this action was totally unnecessary,” Montefiore President Dr. Philip Ozuah told staffers in a memo Monday afternoon. In a statement, it said Hochul, a Democrat, “should listen to the frontline COVID nurse heroes and respect our federally-protected labor and collective bargaining rights.” A lineup of other city and state Democratic politicians, including Attorney General Letitia James, joined a midday union rally Monday.