South Shore University Hospital Nurses Deliver Strike Notice

BAY SHORE, NY — Almost 800 nurses at South Shore University Hospital (SSUH), Northwell Health, will officially go on strike, after almost one year of contract negotiations, the New York State Nurses Association announced.

Nurses marched to Donna Moravick, RN, executive director of SSUH on Tuesday morning, and delivered a 13-day strike notice addressed to Michael J. Dowling, the president and chief executive officer SSUH, a spokesperson said.

If no fair contract agreement can be reached, hundreds of nurses will strike on Monday, Feb. 27.

"The notice gives hospitals time to plan care for patients while nurses are on strike," a release said. "But the best way for management to protect patients is to listen to nurses and settle fair contracts that protect patient care in the next 13 days."

At least 99 percent of nurses authorized the decision to strike on Feb. 3.

Chrysse Blau, a registered nurse who works in the hospital's radiology department and is also the labor bargaining unit president for the association, told Patch that their last contract expired on Feb. 28, 2022.

After almost one year of negotiations, Blau said that she and other nurses are frustrated.

"It's very disappointing that enough time has passed where this can't go on anymore," she said. "We have to have an answer to this. There has to be a resolution."

Blau told Patch that the association is seeking a three-year contract that provides higher salaries, ensures more staffing, and more benefits.

Although their contract expired in 2022, nurses haven't received any raises since their last contract negotiations in March 2021.

Since then, the cost of living on Long Island had alarmingly increased.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in January that its consumer price index for the New York metropolitan region, including Long Island, climbed 6.3 percent in December compared with a year earlier.

In addition, the U.S. monthly inflation rate has drastically changed within the past two years. In March 2021, the rate stood at about 2.6 percent. It then continued to increase to a high of 9.1 percent at its peak in June 2022. It lowered to 6.5 percent in December 2022.

"What was maybe acceptable as a wage increase a year ago, no longer is with the cost of living now," said Blau.

Nurses are also currently living off benefits from their prior contract, she said.

Without a fair salary and benefits, it's impossible to retain and hire more nurses to solve the staffing shortage, she said.

Certain departments such as the emergency room and surgery units, she said, feel the brunt of the shortages the most.

SSUH was one of the "hardest hit" hospitals on Long Island when the pandemic first hit, she said.

"It was absolutely unimaginable, the way we all had to work," she said. "Trying to save everybody that was there, we were just inundated with very, very sick patients."

Many nurses felt the workload was not worth the benefits, she said, and either left the hospital or the field entirely.

After being on the front lines of COVID-19, it's disrespectful for administration to not give nurses fair compensation, she said. In her 36-year career at SSUH, she's never seen anything like this.

" Things have changed drastically in nursing," she said. "Are they not seeing that? I hope they are. Because we're, there, living it every day."

In a statement to Patch, SSUH said that it strives to prioritize its nurses.

"South Shore University Hospital is disappointed in NYSNA’s decision to issue a strike notice but as always, our goal is to reach a fair contract," it said. "We remain optimistic that an agreement can be reached and will continue to bargain in good faith and look forward to positive and productive ongoing negotiations with NYSNA."

The hospital also said that it always will put its patients first.

"Patient care remains our highest priority. South Shore University Hospital will be fully operational and continue to provide continued, world-class care to our patients," the statment said. "We are proud of the longstanding excellent care our dedicated nursing team provides and that our patients and community have come to trust."

The January nursing strike in New York City at two hospitals inspired the association to continue fighting for fair contracts, she said. The nurses won "groundbreaking agreements" on enforceable safe staffing ratios and yearly salary increases of 7,6, and 5 percent, a release said.

But the strike is something the association does not wish to do, Blau said. But through the one to two negotiation sessions each month, administration continued to do "the same thing, hoping for a different outcome."

Every time, she said, it was the same thing.

"It's Groundhog's Day," Blau said.