For Immediate Release

Contact: Randi Hoffman, 212.785.0157, ext. 118
Mark Genovese, 518.782.9400, ext. 353

St. Luke’s Roosevelt Nurses Hold Protest

Images: St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Picket, 22 May 2008

Click on the thumbnails for a larger image

Image: Picket, 22 May 2008 Image: Picket, 22 May 2008 Image: Picket, 22 May 2008 Image: Picket, 22 May 2008

New York – May 21, 2008 – The 1,205 registered nurses at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospital have been working since January without a contract. So they took to the sidewalks and to picketing at Roosevelt Hospital from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and at St. Luke’s from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22.

Roosevelt Hospital is located on 10th Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets, and St. Luke’s Hospital is on Amsterdam Avenue between 114th and 115th Streets.

“The nurses are carrying the hospital on their backs,” said NYSNA Labor Relations Representative Elaine Charpentier. “They are taking on an increased workload and responsibilities and at the same time, they are being offered a substandard economic package – at a time when the hospital’s revenues are increasing. We are only asking for modest improvements in compensation, while upper management is receiving 15% -20% raises.”

St. Luke’s Roosevelt needs to remain competitive with other world-class medical centers to continue to attract and retain high-quality nurses.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 36,000 members, it is the state's largest union and professional association for registered nurses. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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