Over 900 nurses at Northwell Health South Shore University Hospital will strike if they do not reach a contract with their management by March 17.
Jenna Plaza, vice president of the nurse’s bargaining unit, said the nurses, who are unionized under the New York State Nurses Association, provided a strike notice to the hospital on March 4 after bargaining with management since November. Over 99% of the nurses voted to authorize a strike.
One of the driving issues towards the vote to authorize a strike included an unfair labor practice the union filed against Northwell Health on Feb. 25. In a statement, the union alleged that the administration had interfered with federal labor law and engaged in retaliation, interrogation, and surveillance instead of focusing on reaching a fair agreement.
Barbara Osborn, vice president of public relations for Northwell Health South Shore University Hospital, said the hospital is optimistic that it will reach an agreement with the nurses.
“We remain optimistic that an agreement can be reached and will continue to bargain in good faith and look forward to positive and productive ongoing negotiations,” Osborn said in a statement. “South Shore University Hospital is disappointed in NYSNA’s decision to issue a strike notice, but as always, our goal is to reach a fair contract.”
Osborn added that in the event of a strike, South Shore University Hospital will be fully operational and will continue to provide patient care.
The two parties currently do not have any bargaining sessions scheduled between now and March 17, though Plaza said the union has attempted to schedule sessions. The union’s previous contract expired on Feb. 28.
Plaza said that though there had been some obstacles throughout the bargaining process, she felt the parties had been making progress toward a fair contract until a recent bargaining session where Northwell asked the union to withdraw their staffing proposals, something she described as a 180 in terms of progression to an agreement.
The staffing proposal essentially asks the hospital to ensure that the ratio of nurses to patients is always consistent with state guidelines, especially when nurses are on breaks, something which isn’t always the case now, according to Plaza.
“We are fighting for the ratios to be contractually agreed upon and be something that we can hold the hospital accountable for when those ratios are not met,” Plaza said.
Other major issues for the nurses include protections against AI and virtual nursing and advances in their pensions, which Plaza said had not been increased since 2007.
“It’s extremely important for nurses to be able to have a Plan B when we retire. We take care of the community,” she said. “We’re just asking for an increase that is comparable to the increases that the world has experienced.”
“We, as nurses at South Shore, are committed to bargaining to get a fair contract and to avoid a strike,” Plaza said. “A strike is certainly not what I want for our community. It’s not what I want for our patients who look for us to take care of them in their most dire need. But, we are ready to strike if Northwell isn’t willing to come to an agreement.”
