Nurses at NYU Langone-Brooklyn issue strike notice
Nurses at NYU Langone-Brooklyn say they are overworked, understaffed and ready to take action.
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Nurses at NYU Langone-Brooklyn say they are overworked, understaffed and ready to take action. The hospital’s nurses, represented by the Federation of Nurses/UFT, have issued a 10-day strike notice, warning they will walk off the job if a fair agreement isn’t reached.
Sandra Nin, a nurse at NYU Langone-Brooklyn, says current conditions make it impossible to provide the level of care patients need.
“What we need to do for our patients cannot be done in our 11 1/2-hour shift,” Nin said.
The union is demanding the hospital hire more nurses, improve working conditions and offer competitive pay. Nin emphasized that just because the hospital serves an inner-city community doesn’t mean its nurses should receive less than their counterparts at other facilities.
“We are the best of the best in Brooklyn. Just because we’re an inner-city hospital doesn’t mean we don’t deserve what other nurses have,” she said.
Nurses say understaffing has led to dangerous situations, including patients falling due to a lack of available staff. The union claims NYU Langone-Brooklyn has violated legally mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, which they say puts patient safety at risk.
Anne Goldman, vice president of the Federation of Nurses/UFT, said the hospital has the highest number of grievances filed in the country.
“We’ve filed over 8,000 grievances—more than any hospital in the country,” Goldman said. “Our nurses are exhausted.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for NYU Langone said the hospital is committed to bargaining in good faith.
“NYU Langone remains committed to bargaining in good faith and is optimistic that we will reach an agreement that supports our nurses and NYU Langone Hospital,” the statement read.
Goldman, however, says the hospital has the resources to meet their demands and should act now.
“Stop wasting our time. You have the money. This hospital and community deserve the best nurses,” she said.
With just over a week left until the strike deadline, nurses say they hope to see progress at the negotiating table. If no agreement is reached, they are prepared to walk off the job in eight days.
