(STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK) – New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-represented Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH)/ Northwell) Nurses have announced their Executive Committee have been given the go-ahead to call a Strike if management fails to bargain a fair contract that protects care for Staten Island patients. 

The 1,300 NYSNA Caregivers voted in favor of Strike Authorization by more than 97%.

Nurses say they want to stay in Staten Island to care for their community, but many are forced to seek work off the island because of below-market pay at SIUH and frequent understaffing that makes it impossible to provide the level of care their patients deserve.

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: “Nurses shouldn’t be living paycheck to paycheck while keeping Staten Island safe and healthy.  And Northwell shouldn’t be making cuts that make their jobs even harder while spending big on corporate expansions and fancy ad campaigns.  Nurses on Staten Island deserve a fair contract with respectful raises and safe staffing.  Northwell needs to do better by their Nurses.”

The average base pay for Nurses at SIUH-Northwell is now $11,573 below the base pay at similar New York City hospitals. 

Northwell recently announced a $19.2 billion merger with Nuvance Health, but eliminated Pharmacists on the hospital floors of SIUH, forcing Nurses away from patient bedsides for sometimes an hour or more to seek out urgently needed medications.

New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council (NYCCLC) President Vincent Alvarez said: “The entire New York City Labor Movement stands with our NYSNA Nurses at Staten Island University Hospital, who are demanding a fair contract with safe staffing.  The actions of Northwell executives have resulted in understaffing that is actively undermining quality of patient care and threatening public health because trained, experienced Nurses from the community cannot afford to stay and are being forced to go to other Boroughs.  It’s time for Northwell to fix what they’ve broken.  The NYCCLC is proud to support SIUH’s Nurses as they fight for the resources they need to provide safe, quality health care to Working Families on Staten Island.”

The strike authorization vote comes on the heels of overwhelming strike votes at other NYSNA-represented facilities, including most recently at Northwell Long Island Jewish Valley Stream, Peconic Bay Medical Center, and North Shore University Hospital on Long Island.

Those Northwell hospitals settled fair contracts with NYSNA Nurses and averted Strikes.

Approximately a year ago, 7,000 NYSNA Nurses at two New York City Hospitals went on Strike before reaching historic contract agreements.

The Northwell-SIUH contract expires on March 31st. 

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

To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: Staten Island University Hospital Nurses Vote To Strike | New York State Nurses Association (nysna.org)