For Immediate Release: June 7, 2023
Contact: Diana Moreno | press@nysna.org | 917-327-2302
Eliza M. Bates | eliza.bates@nysna.org | 646-285-8491
Nurses Vote by Overwhelming Majority for New Contract
New Contract Defeats Proposals to Cut Care, Improves Staffing, and Wage Increases
Brooklyn, N.Y.— Voting to ratify a new nurse contract at NewYork-Presbyterian Methodist Hospital concluded this afternoon, with the majority of votes in favor of the new contract. The new three-year contract includes: Wage increases of 7, 6, and 5% with full retroactive pay.
NYP-Brooklyn Methodist nurse leader Christina Mazza, RN, said: “This new contract is a win for nurses and our patients. The nurses came together and fought back against management’s regressive proposals, including staffing cuts. We even made safe staffing gains, which will help us deliver the quality care our community deserves.”
The contract victory comes after an intense fight against proposed staffing cuts at the hospital. New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital spoke out about proposed cuts that threaten quality care for the Brooklyn community at an informational picket on May 4. They built support from the local community who posted window signs throughout Park Slope, Brooklyn, calling on hospital administrators to “Listen to the Nurses.” 99.6% of nurses voted yes to authorize a strike, and nurses delivered their notice to begin a strike on June 12 unless an agreement could be reached. On June 1, there was a breakthrough and both sides reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. NYSNA members voted on whether to ratify the new deal on June 5, 6 and 7.
NYP-Brooklyn Methodist nurse Diane Bonet, RN, said: “It has been a long and challenging road to reach this agreement, but we’re excited to have a new contract that protects quality care for our community and delivers respectful salary increases on par with nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian's flagship hospital in Manhattan. This was truly a team effort. We could not have accomplished what we did without the full support of all the nurses.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said: “Our nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist are once again proving that when we fight, we win! It takes courage to stand up to your employer, even when you know that what you’re fighting for is right. I applaud these Brooklyn nurses who were ready to do whatever it takes to protect quality care for their community."
The contract for nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist ended on April 30, 2023, and these nurses were among the tens of thousands of private-sector New York City NYSNA nurses whose contracts expired at the end of 2022 and early this year.
Last January, the NYSNA nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian’s flagship hospital in Manhattan reached a three-year contract agreement that increased nurse staffing, improved staffing standards and enforcement, preserved healthcare and other benefits, and increased salaries each year of the contract by 7%, 6 %, and 5%. This settlement paved the way for similar agreements at other NYC hospitals. Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai Hospital went on strike before reaching new contract agreements.
###
The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.
