Nurses strike for 3rd day at NYC hospitals

A strike of nurses at two major New York City hospitals carried on for a third day on Wednesday as the labor union representing thousands of employees tried to work out a deal to increase wages and staffing levels. Nurses said more nurses need to be hired to reduce the strain on the current staff and improve patient care.

Nurse Angela Macri says she has noticed staffing levels drop dramatically over her 46 year career. The nurses, represented by the New York State Nurses Association, walked out early Monday after negotiations with management ran aground at Mount Sinai Hospital, in Manhattan, and Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx.

Nurses say they have had to work overtime, handle twice as many patients as they should, and skip meals and even bathroom breaks. The privately owned, nonprofit hospitals say they have been grappling with a widespread nursing shortage that was exacerbated by the pandemic.