FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2017
Contact: Carl Ginsburg, NYS Nurses Association, carl.ginsburg@nysna.org, 917-405-1060
Mark Riley, 1199SEIU,  mark.riley@1199.org, 212-603-1167

Strike Authorization Vote To Be Held In Conjunction with Informational Picket

NEW YORK, NY — Nurses and Healthcare workers from Fresenius Medical Care, the largest dialysis provider in the U.S., held an informational picket today outside six locations across New York City and Westchester calling for a fair contract that protects both workers and patients.

After making more than $1 billion in annual profits, Fresenius has threatened to cut benefits and job security for its employees, including its nurses and healthcare workers.

Both the New York State Nurses Association and 1199SEIU have been negotiating in good faith with Fresenius for over two years, but Fresenius has continued to ignore the calls for a fair contract by its employees.

The New York State Nurses Association has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board in its pursuit to hold Fresenius accountable for its bad faith bargaining and unlawful attempts to make a site non-union.

For dialysis patients, the committed care of nurses and healthcare workers makes all the difference.

Fresenius’s nurses work tirelessly to be there for patients when they need it most, standing by their side during every step of the treatment.

In addition to the informational picket today, both NYSNA and 1199SEIU nurses and healthcare workers will be holding a vote tonight to authorize a strike. The strike vote comes at a time when nurses and other healthcare workers’ calls to Fresenius to protect both employees and patients grow louder.

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