NEW YORK (WABC) — In a letter obtained by Eyewitness News, Montefiore warned its striking nurses that they will lose their health benefits in 10 days if the strike continues.
The hospital system warned union members that they have until February 1 before they would need to start paying for their own personal benefits.
Montefiore provides free healthcare to its nurses and says they’re required by federal law to notify the nurses of the upcoming deadline.
A Montefiore spokesperson said in a statement, “Montefiore has always been proud to provide free healthcare to our working nurses that includes no copays, no deductibles, free prescription drugs, dental, and vision, and we have always stated that these extremely generous benefits are not up for negotiation. As required by federal law, we are informingour striking nurses that on February 1 theywill lose eligibility for these health benefits, and at that point, may continue their coverage under COBRA at their own expense.”
Inside the Times Square Sheraton Hotel the nurses union remained holed up into the night bargaining with hospital management in what is undeniably becoming a draining process.
Montefiore stressed this is not punitive because of the strike but that it is standard for insurance companies to require that covered employees receive a paycheck in order to receive benefits.
“Montefiore has always been proud to provide free healthcare to our working nurses. These extremely generous benefits are not up for negotiation,” a spokesperson said.
Both sides returned to the bargaining table on Thursday, the 11th day of the New York City nurses’ strike after an urge from Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
NYSNA nurses resumed bargaining with all three hospital systems, and plan to bargain daily to settle fair contracts that protect patient and nurse safety.
Nurses for the past week and a half have been on the picket line in the bitter cold as negotiations turned sour between the union and the three hospital systems that have yet to make a deal and get a fair contract on the table.
On Thursday nurses had some reinforcement on the picket line from Commissioner of the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection outside Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side.
“My department is going to stand with workers not only when they’re on strike, but when you’re back on the job,” Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine said.
As conversations resume, that doesn’t mean nurses will stop their fight. Nurses will continue to picket and strike until tentative agreements are reached with the hospitals.
On Monday the union representing medical residents and interns announced its members will join the nurses on the picket line on Monday if the hospitals do not reach a deal by then.
The big question is, could this be their last day outside?
Wednesday night, the nurses gathered in Washington Heights. Fifteen-thousand nurses in Manhattan and the Bronx walked off the job last week.
They’re calling for better pay and benefits, increased staffing, and tighter workplace security at Mount Sinai, NewYork Presbyterian, and Montefiore.
Since the strike began, the nurses’ union has been at the bargaining table just once with each of the hospital systems, with no resolution.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “I’m very heartened by the news. Each and every day I’ve been at the picket line or spoken about the strike, I’ve always encouraged a swift and immediate resolution to the strike, and also recognizing the incredible work that nurses do in the city. I can tell you that I am tired of speaking to a working person and asking them where they live in New York City, and then they tell me it’s a state nearby because they cannot afford to live here. I’m heartened by this news and I look forward to the resolution of the strike.”
While the three hospital systems and the union back at the bargaining table, it will be interesting to see if this time those conversations take a different course.
The hospitals are hiring freelance nurses, known as “travel nurses,” and management claims essential operations have continued.
However, some nurses say that the use of travel nurses may not be sustainable over a longer period if the strike continues.
“I definitely think they’re going to see a decline in the amount of nurses that are readily available to care for the patients in New York City,” said travel nurse Renard Walker.
A similar strike three years ago lasted just three days.
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