Northwell Health nurses at 3 Long Island hospitals prepare to strike
Nurses like Policastro say they want a better staffing ratio of nurses to patients, protected employee benefits and a solidified plan from the hospitals to recruit and retain more nurses.
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With only hours to go in contract negotiations, more than 1,000 Northwell Health nurses could soon go on strike.
This includes every nurse at Huntington, Syosset and Plainview hospitals.
"An ER nurse can have up to 12 patients, which is not safe at all," said Meloi Policastro, an emergency room nurse at Syosset Hospital.
Nurses like Policastro say they want a better staffing ratio of nurses to patients, protected employee benefits and a solidified plan from the hospitals to recruit and retain more nurses.
"We're willing to compromise. That's why we're all here, giving up time on our days off to be serious and have them take us seriously with our requests," said Diana Rosmarin, another ER nurse at Syosset Hospital.
The nurses News 12 spoke with say they and their peers at the three Northwell hospitals have been asking for new contracts for months and have seen very little progress at the bargaining table. They say they are ready to walk off the job if it comes to that.
"If we have to, we will," said Policastro.
In a statement to News12, Northwell Health says:
"Our hospitals are engaged in ongoing, constructive negotiations with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and have consistently bargained in good faith."
The nurses are currently not under contract and are giving Northwell a deadline of Dec. 31 to work out a deal. If they do decide to strike, the nurses' union says by law they must give the hospital a 10-day notice before they walk off the job.
