New York Nurses Return to Work After Reaching Tentative Agreement

The three-day strike in New York City involving 7,000 nurses has ended.

Nurses returned to work for the 7 a.m. shift on Thursday morning at Mount Sinai and Montefiore after deals were announced earlier that morning.

The nurses had been fighting for safe staffing ratios claiming shortages were causing widespread burnout, “hindering their ability to properly care for their patients,” CNN reported.

The agreement reached at Montefiore includes financial penalties for not meeting the agreed-upon staffing levels and introduces 170 new nursing positions.

Although nurses will have to approve the deal before it is official, the agreement is believed to be a step in getting patients the best care possible.

The nurse’s union explained in a statement, per CNN, “Through our unity and by putting it all on the line, we won enforceable safe staffing ratios at both Montefiore and Mount Sinai where nurses went on strike for patient care. Today, we can return to work with our heads held high, knowing that our victory means safer care for our patients and more sustainable jobs for our profession.”

Although both hospitals criticized the union for walking out instead of accepting previous offers, Mount Sinai called the tentative deal, “fair and responsible.”