Norwood News reached out to Montefiore, Mount Sinai and New York Presbyterian Hospitals for comment on the above. In a statement on Jan. 5, a Montefiore spokesperson said, “NYSNA’s leadership presented Montefiore Medical Center with demands that would cost $3.6 billion over the life of the proposed new contract, a 50% increase from their current agreement.”

 

The statement continued, “Additionally, NYSNA leadership’s demands will clearly impact patient safety, like nurses not being terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job, and taking issue with our reasonable effort to roll out panic buttons for frontline staff in the emergency department. While Montefiore will continue to bargain in good faith, we are preparing for what we anticipate could be a multi-week strike.”

 

Meanwhile, an extract on the Mount Sinai website in relation to the potential strike action reads, “As NYSNA progresses its plans for a potential staffing disruption in the new year, false rumors and misinformation are circulating. Below is a chart that provides you with the facts about key topics being discussed at the bargaining table as we continue to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement.”

 

The extract continued, “We are proud of the pay and benefits we pay our nurses and are committed to reaching a new contract that delivers a safe, supportive working environment our nurses need to provide the exceptional care to all our patients across the diverse communities we serve.”

MYTH	FACT
Management is trying to cut healthcare benefits	Mount Sinai believes nurses should keep the same healthcare coverage as they have now – and have not proposed reducing benefits. As part of its November 21 economic offer, Mount Sinai suggested NYSNA could implement the same cost controls that other union health plans have (formularies for prescription drugs) – maintaining the same coverage for less, which leaves more money that could go toward increasing compensation and other benefits.
Three nurses were unfairly disciplined for union activity	Three nurses were disciplined after their own co-workers complained about them interfering with other nurses providing patient care in the emergency department. We value our nurses and could not risk patient care by allowing them to be distracted from providing world class patient care.
TimeKeep will be used to surveil nurses	This is not true. We have presented to the union how TimeKeep would replace the current outdated and too often inaccurate payroll system and ensure nurses receive accurate and timely payments. TimeKeep is used by the best hospitals in New York City and across the country to help nurses easily manage their time and accurately get paid.
AI tools will replace nurses and overwrite their clinical judgment	AI tools that keep clinical care safe, effective, ethical, responsible, and secure are the future. Mount Sinai nurses are already helping develop these tools and are part of the system’s AI governance structure, aiding in evaluation and implementation. Many of these tools are already in use, and are helping improve patient outcomes and free nurses up to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative tasks.
Management isn’t bargaining	Not true. We offered an economic proposal on November 21, but NYSNA has said it will not submit a counter offer. Our goal is to reach a deal and continue to offer proposals. Seven bargaining sessions ago, on November 21, Mount Sinai shared its proposal to invest an additional $24,000 in wages and benefits for every NYSNA nurse – nearly $150 million in additional compensation over three years. At Mount Sinai Hospital NYSNA said it would respond to this proposal, but with less than 20 days before the current contract expires, it told Mount Sinai it would not provide a counter proposal – and instead made new strike threats.
Staffing hasn’t improved	In just the last three years we reduced our system-wide number of nursing vacancies from 514 in 2022, to just 92 today, while adding 1,000 new nursing positions over the same 3-year period. During the October 22 bargaining session at Mount Sinai Hospital, union negotiators stated: “We appreciate and acknowledge the vacancy rate has improved.”
All nurses will strike	We already have heard from many nurses that they disagree with NYSNA leadership potentially forcing them to walk away from patients’ bedsides. Some nurses have already asked if they don’t have to strike or if they can get paid, keep their benefits, and stay with their patients during a strike. We have provided them with operational information and will do the same for any nurse who wants to continue working.
NYSNA leadership will stand with me during a strike	NYSNA leadership will continue to get paid during a strike and they continue to get benefits – unlike the nurses they will force to leave patients’ bedsides during a strike. Nurses will go without pay, lose their benefits for the duration of a strike, and many won’t return to work immediately and will have to wait until the volume recovers from the operational impacts.
A strike will get nurses more money	A strike, or even the threat of a strike, requires Mount Sinai Health System pay significant costs for replacement nurses, leaving less for wage increases.

 

A Mount Sinai spokesperson said the hospital was continuing to bargain in good faith in hopes of reaching an agreement that is fair, reasonable, and responsible. “Unfortunately just a week before a potential strike, NYSNA has refused to move off of its extreme economic proposals that demand hospitals like ours spend billions of dollars on increased nursing compensation and additional hires.”

 

 

The hospital once again alleged that most of the union’s claims about bargaining were untrue. “Our negotiators have never proposed reducing healthcare benefits or the number of nurses we employ,” the statement read. “In fact Mount Sinai has hired more than 1,000 new nurses over the last three years.”

 

The statement continued, “Our nurses are an invaluable part of our care teams, and we remain ready to reach a new agreement that recognizes their tremendous impact on providing world-class care to patients every day, but we cannot agree to a contract that harms our ability to invest in other areas across our system or jeopardizes the long-term health of our system and threatens the financial stability of hospitals across New York City.”

 

The statement concluded, “While we hope to reach a new deal, our top priority will always be providing the best care for our patients and supporting all of our employees, so we are taking the necessary steps to prepare now in case of a strike, especially as NYSNA threatens to take more than 20,000 nurses away from the patients’ bedside at a time that the state is experiencing a record number of flu hospitalizations. While we know a strike can be disruptive, we have experienced a strike before and have taken every step to best support our patients and employees in the event nurses walk away for the second time in three years.”

 

Norwood News reached out to NYSNA for comment on the response from Montefiore and Mount Sinai.

 

A union spokesperson responded reiterating the allegation that hospitals were “threatening” to cut the healthcare benefits of nurses working on the front lines in the midst the “worst flu outbreak in recorded history,” that nursing is a high-risk, high injury job, and that many nurses are getting sick with the flu as they care for patients during the latest surge.

 

They allege hospitals were coming up with nonsensical math in terms of the cost numbers they provided, but that nurses were “fighting” to maintain their health coverage and protect patient and nurse safety. They further alleged that instead of investing in settling a fair contract, Montefiore was “fighting” its own nurses and spending millions on temporary traveler nurses, who, they said, don’t know New York City patients or communities.

 

Meanwhile, New York Presbyterian provided the following statement on Tuesday, Jan. 6, “NYSNA’s threatened strike is intended to disrupt patient care across the city. We have taken the necessary steps to ensure that our patients will continue to receive safe, exceptional care. We will always meet our fundamental obligation to the communities we serve.”

 

The statement continued, “We remain fully committed to bargaining toward a fair contract that reflects our great respect for our nurses, as well as the challenging realities of today’s health care environment. We have proposed significant wage increases that keep our nurses among the highest paid in the region, enhancements to their already outstanding benefits, and new strategies that demonstrate our shared commitment to safe staffing. So far, NYSNA hasn’t moved off from its unrealistic demand of nearly 30% wage increases over three years. Collective bargaining requires compromise from both parties in order to reach an agreement.”

 

The statement concluded, “We hope to keep the dialogue going, but regardless of what actions NYSNA leadership takes – including taking nurses away from the bedside – our patients will continue to receive the very best care.”

On Jan. 7,  Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian issued a follow-up joint statement, saying, “NYSNA leadership has chosen to abandon patients in their time of need, but Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian will not. Their decision to walk out on our patients can only be described as reckless.”

The statement continued, “A strike will pose challenges for sure, but our institutions will do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions to the delivery of the safe, high-quality care we are known for. We ask NYSNA leadership to reconsider their decision to strike. But if a strike occurs, we are ready to safely care for our patients whatever the duration.”

Norwood News has reached out to NYSNA for a follow-up comment and will share any feedback we receive.