St. Luke's-Roosevelt nurses to strike on January 3, 2012

Fighting for affordable health care and fair pay

MANHATTAN, Dec. 22, 2011 - Early Thursday morning, the registered nurses of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan filed notice with hospital representatives that they will strike at 7.30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

The 1,300 nurses - members of the New York State Nurses Association - have been working without a contract since December, 2010, and have had 25 bargaining sessions trying to reach a new agreement.

The strike notice was given during a marathon 18-hour bargaining session that ended at 4:00 a.m.

“The hospital’s response to our concerns about affordable health care did not meet our members’ needs. We are now mobilizing in the hospital for the January 3 strike,” said Nancy Kaleda, NYSNA's bargaining director. “While we made some progress on staffing issues in the talks, the healthcare issue carries huge weight for our members and their families.”

Two other major New York City hospitals are also in the middle of intense contract bargaining — Mount Sinai and Montefiore. The Mount Sinai negotiations continue today, Montefiore talks resume next Tuesday. Those NYSNA members have also authorized strikes, but the union has not presented the strike notice yet.

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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