New York City's Governor Kathy Hochul has extended the disaster emergency declared earlier this month as the city's nurses continue their two-week strike. The move aims to stabilize the healthcare system, allowing clinicians from other states to work in Manhattan and the Bronx, which are seeing significant staffing shortages.
The extension was a crucial lifeline for hospitals struggling to cope with the strike-related challenges. With nearly 15,000 nurses on the picket line at Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian since January 12th, the situation has been particularly dire. The emergency declaration enables these clinicians to work in areas where there are severe staffing shortages.
Despite renewed efforts by both sides to negotiate, a breakthrough seems elusive. While hospital representatives have scaled back their initial demands for significant wage increases, talks between the two parties remain contentious. The nurses' union, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), continues to push for improved health benefits and economic terms.
The situation took a tense turn on Friday, with negotiations at an impasse in both NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai. A spokesperson from NewYork-Presbyterian said that the parties left the table without any commitment to return the following day. Meanwhile, NYSNA has accused hospital leaders of attempting to cut nurses' health benefits, a claim that has been vehemently denied by the hospitals.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Hochul have urged both sides to continue negotiating daily in an attempt to reach a reasonable agreement. However, it appears that significant disparities remain between the two parties. As of Saturday, negotiations were unclear, with neither side confirming whether talks would resume or not.
The extension was a crucial lifeline for hospitals struggling to cope with the strike-related challenges. With nearly 15,000 nurses on the picket line at Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian since January 12th, the situation has been particularly dire. The emergency declaration enables these clinicians to work in areas where there are severe staffing shortages.
Despite renewed efforts by both sides to negotiate, a breakthrough seems elusive. While hospital representatives have scaled back their initial demands for significant wage increases, talks between the two parties remain contentious. The nurses' union, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), continues to push for improved health benefits and economic terms.
The situation took a tense turn on Friday, with negotiations at an impasse in both NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai. A spokesperson from NewYork-Presbyterian said that the parties left the table without any commitment to return the following day. Meanwhile, NYSNA has accused hospital leaders of attempting to cut nurses' health benefits, a claim that has been vehemently denied by the hospitals.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Hochul have urged both sides to continue negotiating daily in an attempt to reach a reasonable agreement. However, it appears that significant disparities remain between the two parties. As of Saturday, negotiations were unclear, with neither side confirming whether talks would resume or not.