New York City nurses picket for tenth day of strike in bitter cold
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The historic nurses' strike has gained the support of other labor unions as it reached a 10th day on Wednesday.
Unionized nurses at New York-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, and Montefiore are asking for higher pay, an increase in staff to manage patients, fully funded benefits and better workplace protections against violence for nurses.
On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Zohran Mamdani brought boxes of doughnuts to striking nurses outside Mount Sinai West, encouraging the union and the three hospital systems involved to get back to the bargaining table and to make a deal.
Officials said that the nurses will head back to the bargaining table to resume negotiations on Thursday, urged by Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Nurses have said they have no plans on getting off the picket line until a fair contract is on the table, even as they picket in the brutal cold.
"Nurses do not want to be out on the street. They want to be in there, taking care of their patients," said Patricia Kane, a registered nurse and executive director of New York State Nurses Association.
The hospitals are hiring freelance nurses, known as "travel nurses," and management claims essential operations have continued.
However, some nurses say that the use of travel nurses may not be sustainable over a longer period if the strike continues.
"I definitely think they're going to see a decline in the amount of nurses that are readily available to care for the patients in New York City," said travel nurse Renard Walker.
A similar strike three years ago lasted just three days.
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