'Enough Is Enough': Nurses To Strike At LI Hospital
BAY SHORE, NY - Nurses at South Shore University Hospital plan to go on strike later this month, the New York State Nurses Association announced. NYSNA nurses delivered a strike notice to SSUH management on Tuesday, stating that they will go on an unfair labor practice strike on March 17 unless hospital administration agrees to a fair union contract that keeps enough experienced nurses at bedsides, NYSNA said in a statement. In the statement, NYSNA claimed that Northwell and SSUH administration has "interfered with the federal labor law rights of its employees by, including but not limited to engaging in retaliation, interrogation and surveillance."NYSNA filed unfair labor practice charges against the hospital on Feb. 25, three days before the nurses' union contract expired, NYSNA said. According to NYSNA, over 900 of the organization's nurses work at SSUH and the strike notice gives hospital administrators time to plan care for patients while the nurses strike. However, NYSNA said the best way for management to protect patients is to listen to nurses and settle a fair contract that protects quality patient care before March 17."NYSNA's 42,000 members are in solidarity with our nurses at Northwell Health/South Shore University Hospital," said NYSNA president Nancy Hagans. "Northwell cannot continue to invest in new buildings and expanding their corporate empire at the expense of investing in safe patient care and the nurses who make this hospital run. They must come to the table and bargain a fair contract."NYSNA said that its nurses argue that Northwell can afford to invest in a contract that helps recruit and retain enough nurses for quality patient care. Northwell Health is one of the largest employers on Long Island and has some of the highest executive compensation packages, NYSNA said. In 2023, Northwell’s President and CEO Michael Dowling raked in over $9 million in salary, benefits, and perks, NYSNA said in the statement. The hospital system has spent lavishly in recent years to expand the South Shore campus, increase its endowment and purchase Connecticut-based Nuvance Health, NYSNA added. "Nurses do not want to strike, but we’re ready to do whatever it takes for our patients and our community. As a Level 1 trauma center, we are being held to a higher standard, yet we’re refused higher wages," said Joanne DeAntonio, SSUH nurse and NYSNA’s local bargaining unit president. "Nurses aren’t looking to become millionaires, like the Northwell CEO, we’re simply trying to afford the cost of living while providing quality care for our patients."NYSNA also said that regulators are concerned about Northwell’s track record of hiking prices after mergers and acquisitions and that the organization announced in July 2024 that it was launching its own film studio, raising questions about its commitment to patient privacy and care.According to NYSNA, the strike news follows a speak-out held by SSUH nurses on Feb. 26, where they announced that they voted in favor of authorizing an unfair labor practice strike by over 99 percent. Nurses have been urging Northwell to prioritize negotiating a fair and on-time contract, respect their nurses and settle a fair contract with safe staffing, improved wages, and benefits that will help recruit and retain nurses, NYSNA said. In addition, nurses have been pushing to improve staffing in areas such as the emergency department and labor and delivery unit and asking Northwell to hire more nurses to cover sick calls to maintain safe staffing at all times.The statement also said that in a poll conducted in July/August 2024, nurses reported that they did not have break coverage on over 61% of shifts. Understaffing is especially bad when nurses go on break and managers do not assign break relief nurses to ensure safe staffing standards are maintained for patients, NYSNA said. NYSNA added that Northwell/South Shore was designated a Level 1 trauma center in August of last year and that it receives patients with high acuity from all over the region—from Mather Hospital to Peconic Bay Medical Center."We decided to submit a strike notice because we take patient care seriously, because we know this community deserves better. Instead of hearing our demands, Northwell has been busy surveilling and intimidating nurses," said Northwell South Shore nurse Jenna Kuhn-Plaza, RN BSN. "Enough is enough, Northwell must stop the intimidation and come to the table to bargain a fair contract." NYSNA nurses at Northwell Huntington Hospital and Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital are also in active bargaining on Long Island. Over 2,500 NYSNA nurses at the three Long Island hospitals are united for quality care for all Long Island patients.The article 'Enough Is Enough': Nurses To Strike At LI Hospital appeared first on Bay Shore, NY Patch.
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