New Rochelle nurses join forces with those in Mount Vernon and Nyack to launch campaign for fair contracts

Nurses from Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital joined those from Mount Vernon and Nyack, community allies, and elected officials on Tuesday, November 14 to sound the alarm about the staffing crisis at all three Montefiore hospitals that is reducing the quality of  patient care.

Chanting “We are one Monte! Safe Staffing Saves Lives!” and “What is it about? Patient Care!” nurses rallied to demand Montefiore sign a fair contract with competitive wages sufficient to recruit and retain nurses and enforceable safe staffing levels.

“Life in my hospital has gotten progressively worse,” Melissa Ricketts, a Progressive Care Unit nurse at Montefiore New Rochelle told those gathered in front of Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital. “Without raising the pay of nurses to what nearby hospitals are paying, we cannot bring nurses in the door.” 

Nurses joined forces to speak out on the crisis of understaffing and demand Montefiore settle a fair contract with their union, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) — before all three contracts expire on Dec. 31. 

This is the first time that all three hospitals are bargaining on a common contract expiration and a common platform. The nurses are demanding Montefiore settle fair contracts that prioritize enforceable safe staffing ratios, competitive wages, and improvements to health and educational benefits that honor nurses’ service and quality patient care.

Ricketts highlighted the toll understaffing takes on patients, nurses and their families. “The reason I took the job in New Rochelle seven years ago was because we were the only hospital that would hire nurses without experience. We got by bringing in new nurses and training them, knowing they would move on in a year or so to facilities that paid more.  …. We’re in a really tough spot right now. It’s hard for our patients, it’s hard for our nurses. It’s really painful when a patient says, ‘we know you’re understaffed but I need you’. They can feel it. The nurses feel it. Our families feel it, too. Our community needs to see this for what it is right now.” 

Elected officials at the speak-out included Assemblyman Chris Burdick, Westchester County Legislators Catherine Borgia and Colin Smith, and Westchester County Legislator-elect Emilijana Ulaj

Three years ago, New Rochelle NYSNA members waged a two-day unfair labor strike before the Montefiore administration settled their contract.

Representing more than 42,000 members in New York State, NYSNA is the state’s  largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country’s largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.

To learn more about the NYSNA Nurses contract campaign, contact Ida Cheng at 718-404-2898 or ida.cheng@nysna.org.