(MANHATTAN, NEW YORK) - After more than three months at the bargaining table, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) Members employed at Gracie Square Hospital, an affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian, picketed outside the hospital last week and publicly demanded safe staffing and a fair contract.

As New York City faces a mental-health crisis exacerbated by the closure of psychiatric beds throughout New York City, Gracie Square Hospital management has refused to staff enough Nurses to care for patients safely, NYSNA Representatives said.

While the hospital has increased its bed capacity to meet increasing mental health care demands, administrators have failed to increase staffing to meet this demand, they said.

This has left Nurses to address the dramatic increase of acuity of psych patients without safe staffing, Union Officials said.

Earlier this year, Private Sector Hospitals in New York City settled fair contracts with Nurses, including NewYork-Presbyterian's flagship hospital in Manhattan and Brooklyn-Methodist.

Nurses are calling on hospital administrators to start negotiating in good faith to address staffing concerns and invest in Nurse recruitment and retention efforts to ensure safe patient care by providing competitive wages that meet the raises won by Nurses across New York City.

NYSNA, which represents more than 42,000 Members across the State, is New York’s largest Union and Professional Association for Registered Nurses (RNs).

NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the country's largest and fastest-growing Union and Professional Association of RNs, with more than 225,000 Members nationwide.

To Access This Labor News Report, Go To: NYSNA Nurses at Gracie Square Hospital to Picket for Safe Staffing Amidst New York City’s Mental Health Crisis | New York State Nurses Association

To Watch The NYSNA News Conference, Go To: https://www.facebook.com/nynurses/videos/290442370025637 

Photo Courtesy Of NYSNA's Facebook Page.