Nurses have embarked on strike action in two major hospitals in New York City over low wages and staffing levels that have overwhelmed many several years into the COVID-19 pandemic.
According Al Jazeera news, on Monday, large number of nurses of about 3,600 at Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and as many as 3,500 at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx have embarked on their strike action.
Warren Urquhart who is a nurse in transplant and oncology units said, “We were heroes only two years ago, We was on the front lines of the city when everything came to a stop. And now we need to come to a stop so they can understand how much we mean to this hospital and to the patients.”
The COVID-19 global pandemic which took over he hospitals in the United States hospitals left the medical workers with a huge chunk of work which made many started reconsidering their profession as hospitals were opened to large profits.
According ShiftMed 2022 survey, about two-thirds of the nurses had considered leaving the profession in the next two years.
The nurse’s union, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), has said that staffing shortages at the New York City hospitals have left some workers caring for twice as many patients as is normal.
“We can no longer sustain what’s happening,” Michelle Gonzalez, a registered nurse at Montefiore, told Al Jazeera. “We’ve been trying so hard to tell the hospital to make changes. We don’t want to do this but we feel like we have no other options.”
Al Jazeera reports that Jed Basubas said that he cares for between eight and 10 patients at a time, and nurse practitioner Juliet Escalon said that she sometimes skips bathroom breaks to attend to patients.
Ashleigh Woodside said that her 12-hour operating room shifts frequently become 14-hour ones, as low staffing levels push workers to take on longer shifts.
Some elected officials have thrown their support behind the nurses and joined their protest.
New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman said, “Nurses have been through hell and back for their patients, I stand with NYSNA nurses as they fight for fair workplace conditions.”
It was an honor to join @nynurses this morning on the picket line.
If CEOs can double their pay, we can give our nurses a fair contract.@MontefioreNYC and @MountSinaiNYC it's time for you to step up and get a fair contract done TODAY! pic.twitter.com/PrDdMwY8OH
— Jamaal Bowman Ed.D (@JamaalBowmanNY) January 9, 2023