**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2023**
Contact: Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
Eliza M. Bates | eliza.bates@nysna.org | 646-285-8491
NYSNA Nurses to Hold Escalating Protests at Major Public Hospitals
NYC spent more than $1.2 billion on temporary healthcare staffing in FY 2022, and spends over $1.5 million more each and every day that they fail to settle a fair contract with nurses to stop the crisis of high turnover and chronic understaffing
New York, NY— NYSNA nurses will hold a series of escalating protests at major public hospitals throughout the next two weeks, including at Lincoln Medical Center, Kings County Medical Center, Elmhurst Hospital, Henry J. Carter, Queens Hospital and Harlem Hospital. Nurses are calling on Mayor Adams to do the right thing for racial and healthcare justice for New Yorkers, and settle a fair contract with nurses that will help to recruit and retain enough caregivers at the bedside.
WHAT: Nurses Hold Escalating Protests at Major Public Hospitals
WHO: NYC Public Hospital and Mayoral Agency Nurses, Allies, and Elected Leaders
WHEN/WHERE:
Wednesday, June 21 at 12:30 PM: Coney Island Hospital/South Brooklyn Health, 2601 Ocean Parkway
Thursday, June 22 at 12:30 PM:
Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx – 12:30 Press Conference, 234 East 149th Street
Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, 451 Clarkson Avenue
Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, 79-01 Broadway ·
Saturday, June 24 at 12 noon: Henry J. Carter in Manhattan, 1752 Park Avenue
Tuesday, June 27 at 12:30 PM: Queens Hospital Center, 82-68 164th Street
Wednesday, June 28 at 1 PM: Harlem Hospital in Manhattan, 506 Lenox Ave
VISUALS: Hundreds of NYSNA nurses with signs rallying
The New York Daily News reported that NYC paid $1.2 billion to a for-profit staffing firm called Rightsourcing in fiscal year 2022. Rightsourcing, which is owned by a Swedish private equity firm, subcontracted with temp agencies to fill staffing gaps at H+H/Mayorals – gaps that were largely caused by public sector nurse pay being so much lower than the industry standard.
$1.2 billion is significantly more than the half a billion dollar figure the city released on spending for temporary travel nurse contracts in calendar 2022. Even using the city’s much lower numbers, NYC spends at least $1.5 million on temp nurses every single day that they fail to settle a fair contract that keeps qualified staff nurses at the bedside. NYC could save hundreds of millions of dollars and solve the crisis of high turnover and chronic understaffing by raising pay for public hospital nurses, who make nearly $20,000 less a year than their private sector counterparts.
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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.
