HHC and City Nurses to rally Tuesday: 5:00 at City Hall

Nurses coming by bus from all five boroughs

MANHATTAN, Dec. 5, 2011 - Hundreds of registered nurses from the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation and city agencies will hold a candlelight vigil in front of City Hall tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec 6.

Union-sponsored buses are bringing nurses to City Hall from each borough.

The nurses, representing dozens of the city's most famous health care facilities, from Bellevue to Woodhull, are demanding that the Mayor and city officials return to the table to finish negotiations with the New York State Nurses Association, representing 8,800 HHC and city agency nurses.

"Our nurses and our patients need and deserve to have their key issues addressed," said Anne Bove, president of the union's HHC bargaining unit. "We are the people's health care system and we demand quality staffing, affordable health care for our nurses and their families, and decent wages."

The nurses will hold penlights, focusing on City Hall to show the Mayor that their work is a ray of light in every neighborhood where they work.

Who: Hundreds of NYC hospital and city agency nurses
What: Vigil shining a light for healthcare justice on City Hall
When: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 5:00-6:30
Where: City Hall
Why: Nurses demand a good contract and safe staffing from NYC

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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