TODAY: Nurses at Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West Return to Work After Ratifying New Contracts

**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FEB. 14 AT 6:30 AM**  

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

NURSES AT MONTEFIORE, MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL AND MOUNT SINAI MORNINGSIDE AND WEST RETURN TO WORK AFTER RATIFYING NEW CONTRACTS

Nurses celebrate return to work after ratifying new contracts by overwhelming majorities and nearly a month on historic NYC strike

Media availability with nurses who are returning to work at Mount Sinai Hospital at 6:30 a.m.  

New York, NY — On Saturday, Feb. 14, NYSNA members at Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside and West will begin returning to work after nearly one month on historic NYC nurse strike. Nurses voted overwhelmingly to ratify new 3-year contracts that protect patient and nurse safety. Their contracts maintain and improve enforceable safe staffing standards, protect nurses from workplace violence, and maintain nurses’ health benefits. Nurses will begin returning to work at 6:30 a.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital for 7 a.m. shifts.  

WHO: NYSNA Nurses

WHAT: Walk Back and Media Availability

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 14 at 6:30 a.m.

WHERE: Mount Sinai Hospital, 1468 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029

Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian voted to reject the mediators’ proposal. More than 4,200 nurses remain on an unfair labor practice strike at NewYork-Presbyterian. NYSNA has requested bargaining dates from NYP negotiators.  

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “After nearly one month in the freezing cold, nurses are happy to get back to their patients with contracts that improve care for New Yorkers. They showed their employers and this city the lengths they would go in order to protect their patients. They’re stronger and more united than ever! Nurses at NYP are still in the fight, back at the picket line, and we need their employer to get back to the table and get their nurses back in the hospital like their union siblings.”

Nurses at Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West fought for and won tentative agreements that:

• Maintain enforceable safe staffing standards and increases the number of nurses to improve patient care at all hospitals.
• Protect their health benefits, no additional costs to nurses.
• Protect nurses from workplace violence. Safety improvements include additional weapons detection systems at entrances, additional visitor screening, wearable panic alarms, steps towards implementing behavioral health rapid response teams, and additional paid time off to appear in court for nurses affected by workplace violence.
• Protect immigrant and trans patients and nurses, including clear guidelines for protecting patient care and interacting with ICE at Mount Sinai Morningside and West and Montefiore, and new protections for trans workers at Mount Sinai Hospital. 
• Safeguard against artificial intelligence in all contracts for the first time. 
• Increase salaries by more than 12% over the life of the 3-year contract to recruit and retain nurses for safe patient care. Salaries will increase by approximately 4% in each year of the three-year contracts. 
• Beat back aggressive takeaways on healthcare and safe staffing enforcement.
• Return all nurses to work after ratification. 

Nurses began bargaining in September and went on the largest and longest nurse strike in New York City history on January 12. They picketed through some of the coldest temperatures in the cityand demonstrated their incredible resolve to protect patient and nurse safety through fair contracts.  

The unfair labor practice strike at NewYork-Presbyterian continues. NYSNA nurses are putting all their energy into supporting striking NYP nurses. Ways you can support NYP nurses, along with the latest picket line hours, can be found on www.nysna.org/strike.  

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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.