NEW YORK –
Thousands of nurses at two New York City hospitals ended a three-day strike Thursday after reaching a tentative contract agreement that union officials said will relieve chronic short staffing and boost pay by 19% over three years.
Nurses began returning to work Thursday morning at Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center. Each of the privately owned, nonprofit hospitals has over 1,000 beds and 3,500 or more union nurses, represented by the New York State Nurses Association.
Nurses are set to vote next week on ratifying the tentative deals, which union President Nancy Hagans called “truly groundbreaking.”
“They set a new standard for safe staffing, for respect and for quality care for all,” she said at a news conference.
Mount Sinai said its proposed agreement was “fair and reasonable, and it puts patients first.” Montefiore, which agreed to hire 170 more nurses, said it worked to ensure nurses “have the …