NYC nurses call on Gov. Hochul for support as strike enters Week 4
NYSNA, the nurse’s union, is calling on the governor to stand with them as they fight for higher wages and better safety conditions inside city hospitals.
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Hundreds of New York City nurses from Mount Sinai Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center rallied outside of Gov. Kathy Hochul's Manhattan office on Monday.
NYSNA, the nurse’s union, is calling on the governor to stand with them as they fight for higher wages and better safety conditions inside city hospitals.
As the strike now enters its fourth week, nurses at Montefiore have lost their health insurance. Workers are now paying over $1,000 a month for health insurance — even more for families.
Picketers also braved the cold Sunday at the Montefiore Einstein campus in Morris Park.
Montefiore warned nurses last week that if they did not return to work by Feb. 1, they would forfeit their health insurance coverage. Sunday marked that deadline, and nurses on the line said they have no intention of returning until their demands are met.
"We've been outside, without health care, without pay, in the cold, holding our picket line strong," said nurse Goodness Iheanachor. "Please support the nurses. Put pressure on these bosses to come to the bargaining table in good faith, that is all we are asking for."
Nurses say the current conditions inside city hospitals are unacceptable.
"Patients are packed together like cattle. It's a horrible situation. When they're admitted, they're not given a room... they are housed in hallways without privacy, without toilets, without sinks," said nurse Judy Gonzalez.
Nurses tell News 12 they believe hospital negotiators waited this long on purpose.
"These hospitals clearly had, by design, a plan to save their money, to push us out on strike," said Gonzalez. "They thought we would freeze to death, starve to death...we are suffering."
MORE: Hospital systems put forward economic offer in talks with striking NYC nurses
