For Immediate Release: December 2, 2020
Contact: Kristi Barnes | kristi.barnes@nysna.org | 646.853.4489
Carl Ginsburg | carl.ginsburg@nysna.org | 917.405.1060
Nurses’ Strike to End at 7:00 AM Thursday
Nurses Walk Back for Morning Shift, Hoping to Avoid Lock Out and Continue Providing Patient Care to the Community
New Rochelle, NY—Today, nurses ended their picket in front of Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, as part of a two-day Unfair Labor Practice strike. The strike officially ends at 7:00 AM on Thursday, December 3.
The nurses hope to return to work taking care of patients at that time. Nurses, with the support of elected and community leaders, will walk back into the hospital at the main entrance to start their scheduled shifts at 7:00 AM.
Nurses are hoping to avoid a lock-out, which happens when an employer refuses to let workers who were on strike come back to work. Montefiore sent an e-mail to nurses about this week’s schedule, causing confusion about who will be allowed to return to work. Some dedicated nurses are heading back to the hospital in the morning, unsure if they will be allowed to work and when.
Nurses have been negotiating a new contract with Montefiore New Rochelle for two years. No further negotiation dates have been set.
"All we want to do is continue to provide the best possible care for our community,” explained NYSNA leader at New Rochelle Hospital, Kathy Santoiemma, RN. “We hope that Montefiore got the message that we won’t be silenced or intimidated when it comes to speaking out for safe staffing and quality care for our patients.”
“Our community deserves a fully functional hospital,” said Lisa Gehrung, RN. “We fought hard to bring back the Maternal-Child Health units to Montefiore New Rochelle, and at a time when hospitals should be expanding capacity, we hope Monte will reopen the entire hospital and bring back all the nurses.”
WHAT: NYSNA Nurses Walk Back to Work
WHO: NYSNA nurses and elected and community supporters
WHEN: Thursday, December 3 from 6:30AM – 7:30AM
WHERE: Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, 75 Glover Johnson Pl, New Rochelle, NY 10801
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The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. For more information, please visit nysna.org.
