TODAY at 11 a.m.: NYSNA to Hold Press Briefing on Negotiations and Jan. 12 Strike Deadline

**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR JAN. 7 AT 11 A.M.**

Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169  
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489

NYSNA to Hold Press Briefing on Negotiations and Jan. 12 Strike Deadline

Nurses at 7 safety-net hospitals rescinded strike notices, broke through with tentative agreements on enforceable safe staffing ratios, maintaining healthcare benefits, and workplace safety

Nurses at 5 NYC hospitals still set to strike on Jan. 12 in what would be largest nurse strike in NYC history if contract agreements to protect patient and nurse safety are not reached  

Nurses at 3 Northwell Health hospitals on Long Island also set to strike on Jan. 12 if agreements are not reached

New York and Long Island, NY— NYSNA will hold a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 7 from 11:00 a.m.—11:30 a.m. with NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, to provide an update on New York City contract negotiations, including at the 5 hospitals that could strike beginning Jan. 12 unless tentative agreements are reached.  

Northwell/Huntington Hospital nurse Erin Gray, RN, will provide an update on contract negotiations at the three Northwell Hospitals that could also strike on Jan. 12.  

WHAT: NYSNA virtual press briefing

WHERE: Zoom. All participants must register at https://nysna.zoom.us/meeting/register/0aq5dTfSSBuAo_ieP4Mlbg#/registration  

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 7 from 11-11:30 a.m.

Media will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the briefing. The briefing will be recorded and distributed to members of the press who register at the link below.  

On Jan. 5 and 6, NYSNA nurses at 7 NYC safety-net hospitals in Brooklyn and Staten Island rescinded their 10-day strike notice after management agreed to maintain and pay for healthcare benefits for frontline nurses. Meanwhile, management at New York City’s wealthiest private hospitals continue to push for cuts to healthcare and safe staffing and refuse to agree to workplace violence protections, meaning that over 16,700 nurses at 5 NYC hospitals are still set to strike in just 5 days.  

Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health’s Interfaith Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health’s Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and Richmond University Medical Center made major progress in negotiations this week. Although final contracts are not yet settled, NYSNA nurses rescinded strike notices at these safety-net facilities after reaching tentative agreements with management on:  

• Guaranteeing and fully funding healthcare benefits for nurses.
• Stronger safe staffing and staffing enforcement with remedies.
• Protections from workplace violence.
• Protections for vulnerable patients.
• Continuing pension plans with no cuts.
• Model AI language to ensure that patients always have a real nurse at the bedside. 

NYSNA nurses will be bargaining with management at these 7 safety-net facilities every day this week with the mutual goal of settling their contracts by Friday, after which NYSNA membership would vote on whether to ratify their contracts.  

NYSNA President and Maimonides nurse Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “Our safety-net hospitals are taking significant steps toward settling fiscally responsible contracts that protect nurses and patients, while rich private hospitals like Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian continue to throw away hundreds of millions of dollars to fight against frontline nurses. The safety-net hospitals that care for New York City’s most vulnerable patients are doing the right thing by guaranteeing healthcare benefits for nurses and agreeing to stronger safe staffing standards and protections from workplace violence. New York City’s wealthiest hospitals should follow their lead.”

NYSNA Northwell nurses at Northwell/ Huntington, Plainview and Syosset Hospitals also delivered 10-day strike notices on Jan. 2 and are scheduled to begin their strike on Jan. 12 if they cannot reach tentative contract agreements. More than 1,000 Northwell nurses have been bargaining for months for safe staffing standards and wages and benefits that keep nurses at the bedside, while Northwell has been dragging its feet.  

Northwell/ Huntington nurse Erin Gray, RN, said: "Northwell demands that nurses take on larger workloads and ignores how this compromises care. We put safe patient care and our licenses at risk when we take on the patient loads Northwell suggests – up to 12 patients at a time in some instances.  Northwell is not struggling financially, and we know hospital executives could invest in safe patient care. Over the last few decades, we’ve watched as Northwell has expanded out of state and taken over smaller community hospitals. We need them to invest in our communities right here in New York as they grow. That’s why nurses are going up against New York’s largest healthcare system and private employer, because we know Northwell can afford to do better.”

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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.