A few of our stories and columns are now in front of the paywall. We at The Chief remain committed to independent reporting on labor and civil service. It's been our mission since 1897. You can have a hand in ensuring that our reporting remains relevant in the decades to come. Consider supporting The Chief, which you can do for as little as $3.20 a month.
Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian overwhelmingly voted to reject a tentative agreement union leadership reached with management last weekend that would have ended the workers’ monthlong strike.
Rank-and-file union members were outraged when top officials at the New York State Nurses Association overruled the decision of the 12-member executive bargaining committee made up of NewYork-Presbyterian nurses and presented the agreement, proposed by a mediator, for a ratification vote Monday evening. Nurses had fewer than two days to vote on the agreement, and nurses quickly mobilized a campaign to get their colleagues to vote against the pact.
One Instagram account of NewYork-Presbyterian nurses with more than 6,000 followers said after receiving the tentative agreement that "NYSNA sold us out” and that the union “went over our heads to force a ratification vote.” On Wednesday, hours before balloting closed, dozens of nurses delivered a petition signed by over 1,500 of their colleagues to NYSNA’s offices demanding an investigation into union leadership, as first reported by The City news website.
Beth Loudin, the lead negotiator for NewYork-Presbyterian nurses on the executive bargaining committee, told reporters outside during the petition delivery that she was “surprised and shocked” NYSNA had put the agreement up to a vote.
That evening, NYSNA announced that of the 4,200 nurses eligible to cast ballots, 3,099 voted against ratifying the agreement, while 867 voted for it.
Nurses at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, and Montefiore Medical Center voted to ratify their tentative agreements by 87 percent, 96 percent, and 85 percent margins. Nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore will return to work this weekend, while the over 4,000 at NewYork-Presbyterian returned to the picket lines Thursday for their 32nd day on strike.
'Hard-earned victory'
In a message sent to union members following the vote, NYSNA leadership said they "respect members’ choice," planned to “continue to build solidarity for the strike” and would be contacting hospital management to resume negotiations.
“This hard-earned victory shows hospitals that they can’t cut corners on patient care,” Nancy Hagans said in a statement after the union announced the results of the ratification votes. “Now it’s time for NewYork-Presbyterian to do the right thing, agree to a fair contract and bring all our nurses back to work.”
Later, on the Brian Leher show on WNYC-NPR, Hagans said that “members made their decision and they made it very clear to let management know that they have rejected the mediators proposal and were going to continuously advocate for our nurses to get a fair contract and get back to work.”
The contracts ratified by nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore maintain staffing levels and health benefits that were key tenants for striking nurses. The contracts also feature a 12 percent raise over the three-year life of the contract.
According to NewYork-Presbyterian management, the agreement rejected by nurses contains the same provisions on pay as the other two agreements. The pact also maintains healthcare and pension benefits.
NYP nurses demand more
But NewYork-Presbyterian nurses felt that the agreement needed stronger protections against layoffs and guarantees from management on staffing. Last year, NewYork-Presbyterian cut its entire workforce by 2 percent, which included about 40 union members, according to NYSNA.
The memory of those layoffs lives fresh in the minds of the striking nurses who have walked picket lines in bitter cold for the last month and elected to continue doing so.
Angela Karafazli, the senior director of media and public relations for NewYork-Presbyterian said in a statement that the hospital was “disappointed” that nurses did not vote to approve the contract.
“We believe the proposal, which includes compromises, is fair and reasonable and reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role that they play,” Karafazli said. “For now, we remain willing to honor this current proposal for reconsideration. It's critical to remember that the economic terms we agree to will directly affect New York City’s safety net hospitals.”
As it has done throughout the strike, the hospital offered striking nurses the option to return to work despite no final agreement having been reached. But after beating back management for more than a month and defying union leadership, thousands of NewYork-Presbyterian nurses remain on the picket line.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here