Contract negotiations end with no resolution on 4th day of New York City nurses' strike
The nurses union and NewYork-Presbyterian resumed talks Thursday night
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Negotiations resumed at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Thursday night, but ended with no resolution in sight on the fourth day of the New York City nurses' strike.
Nurses protested outside Columbia's School of Nursing, where the first bargaining meeting between their union and hospital executive took place since they walked off the job on Monday.
Initially, nurses were barred from attending the meeting, but eventually, 70 nurses were allowed to join.
Union representatives say that up until now, nurses have always been welcome to the table, and with that contentious start, nurses say things didn't get much better.
"The most feedback we've gotten is they think the staffing is great and there was or they've rejected outright a lot of our proposals around staffing," said nurse, Beth Loudin, who was in the meeting. "I think they are trying to see if we will break."
Nurses say hospital representatives only wanted to discuss staffing ratios Thursday night, and no other key issues.
Some expect the strike to at least stretch into next week. Still, some say it's progress.
"The last time they didn't even show up. They last-minute canceled on us," said a nurse named Jenny. "At least they're showing up, which is great. We're showing up and at least they're like willing to hear us."
Up until Thursday night, there had been radio silence between the union and the three private hospitals as nurses walked off the job Monday, making this the largest nurses' strike in New York City history.
Montefiore and Mount Sinai plan to return to the bargaining table on Friday.
The 15,000 nurses on strike are asking for pay hikes, improved staffing levels, full health care coverage and pensions, and workplace protections against violence.
"The nurses are fighting for the community, not only for ourselves, but for this community because we are understaffed to the point of breaking," said Mount Sinai Morningside emergency room nurse Lilian Batista.
As car horns honked in solidarity earlier on Thursday, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, which represents the largest body of firefighters in the nation, also joined in.
"Nobody every said it's an emergency, somebody get management, they're looking for nurses, they're looking for firefighters, people respect the work we do, they do not respect the work that you're not doing by not getting to the table and providing them a fair contract," said President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association Andrew Ansbro.
However, the hospitals say the New York State Nurses Association's demands are unrealistic.
For instance, Montefiore says it already offers generous health benefits and programs to keep nurses safe and NewYork-Presbyterian says its nurses are among the highest paid in the city.
Brendan Carr, the CEO of Mount Sinai, put out a message saying union nurses who decided to work instead of striking have been bullied.
He called out the alleged harassment of the 23% of nurses who chose to cross the picket line.
"Bullying, intimidating and threatening devalues nurses, undermines our culture and is not consistent with our values at Mount Sinai," Carr said.
As for when a deal will be made, that remains unclear. A mediator is overseeing talks with NewYork-Presbyterian.
All of the hospitals impacted by the strike have stressed that they will remain open.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
