A looming nurse shortage at Mt. Sinai due to negotiation under strife is the same as other medical institutions facing the same problem.
Nurse Shortage Affecting Critical Healthcare Services
The head of the state's nurse union issued an angry statement last Saturday when hospital officials halted talks with the union, with a strike deadline and walkout coming close, reported NY Daily News.
According to Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association, the tactics have antagonized members. Employers have intervened unjustly and unlawfully in an attempt to intimidate our nurses.
As union officials warned of a 6 a.m. strike, the hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside and West and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx continued to be the last hospital without even an agreement. Hospital staff started walking out last Monday. Union discussions at Sinai Hospital were halted as the walkout reached its conclusion, notwithstanding the hospital's denials, noted NY1.
When they should come to the table and interact in a fair deal, Hagans emphasized the need to negotiate an agreement over the recent staffing shortfall. When the pandemic was declared, it became clear that they were understaffed but unreplaced, citing Yahoo News.
The hospital states that the union is the one who broke off talks, not them. Considering that the NYSNA's suggested pay raise was similar to what other city hospitals were proposing, hospital officials characterized the organization's actions as misguided. Patients' care is in danger, and it's trying to make cherished nurses give up their dedication to caring delivery and their own.
Other Medical Institutions Reach Deals with Nursing Staff
There's been better news before Saturday when nurses at three city hospitals reached provisional contracts on their current deals. The union announced the awaiting agreements with Bronx Care, the Flushing Hospital Medical Center, and the Brooklyn Hospital Center, whereas nurses at Maimonides Medical Center formalized the new three-year settlement with the facility last Friday night.
Ken Gibbs, CEO of Maimonides Health, stated that the approval of this deal benefits Maimonides, nurses, and the patients we serve. Both parties planned to reach an agreement that supports dedicated nursing staff and ensures clients continue to receive the best care possible.
At several hospitals in the Brooklyn region, additional strikes are still possible. Even though temporary agreements had been reached at several other locations, including Richmond University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian, negotiators persisted in trying to reach new agreements at the remaining institutions.
Hagans added the union will still talk up to 11:59 p.m. Sunday. According to the union president, the nursing workforce has slowly decreased since the disease outbreak, and staff numbers have become incredibly low, adding urgency to the negotiating table. She mentioned that certain hospital administrators obtained seven-figure wages.
The point of discussion is the ratio of a single nurse to two patients in the intensive care unit and one for five patients in medical-surgical units. The Union head added that patients are above profit and want a good deal, and staffing is essential.
A nurse shortage is an issue at the Mt. Sinai hospital, with other medical institutions reaching agreements, but less hospital staffing is a major concern.
