**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, DEC. 19, 2023**
Contact: Anna Sterling | press@nysna.org | 646-673-0419
Tomorrow: Montefiore Lower Hudson Valley Nurses to Announce Results of Strike Authorization Vote
NYSNA Nurses at Nyack, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon Hospitals Voting to Authorize a Strike
More than 40 Elected and Community Leaders Add Support to Nurses’ Demands for Fair Contracts
Nyack, N.Y.— New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses are voting to authorize a strike at Montefiore Nyack, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon Hospitals in the Lower Hudson Valley. Voting concludes on Dec. 18 and the results will be announced at 11:30 on Dec. 19 in front of Montefiore Nyack Hospital.
The nurses’ contracts with the hospitals will expire on Dec. 31, 2023. One of those facilities, Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, went on a three-day strike three years ago. Montefiore nurses in the Bronx went on a three-day strike approximately one year ago for better patient care. Nurses from all three hospitals are demanding that Montefiore settle fair contracts this time around—on time.
For the first time, nearly 800 nurses across the three facilities are bargaining with a common contract expiration date and common bargaining platform, including safe staffing with strong accountability for patient safety and respectful competitive wages that help recruit and retain nurses.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, all three facilities have seen high nurse turnover. Several areas of each hospital are routinely understaffed because working conditions and wages have not kept pace with nearby hospitals. The nurse vacancy rate at Nyack Hospital is nearly 25%, and it is 20% at New Rochelle. At Mount Vernon, there’s been a 23% reduction in the work force since 2020 due to resignations, vacancies, and service reductions by Montefiore.
Approximately 40 area labor and community leaders signed a letter to Montefiore supporting the nurses’ fight for fair contracts and their demands for safe staffing, fair pay and community health. NYSNA nurses at Nyack will deliver this letter to management during a negotiation session immediately after the speak-out. See a copy of the letter here.
WHO: Nurses from Montefiore Nyack, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon Hospitals, and labor and community allies including Assemblymember Ken Zebrowski, Westchester County Legislator Colin Smith, and New Rochelle Alliance for Justice.
WHAT: Speak-Out for a Fair Contract with Safe Staffing and Respect to Prevent a Nurses’ Strike
WHERE: Montefiore Nyack Hospital, 160 North Midland Avenue, Nyack, NY
Sidewalk by the Emergency Department entrance on North Midland Ave. opposite Haven Court
WHEN: 11:30 a.m.
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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.
