South Shore University Hospital Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement

BAY SHORE, NY — Less than a week before a strike was set to begin, nurses at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital claimed victory in a tentative agreement with hospital administrators Thursday, the New York State Nurses Association announced.

The nurses withdrew their strike notice Thursday after delivering it to hospital officials Feb. 14.

The agreement comes after about 99 percent, or roughly 800 nurses, voted to authorize a strike Feb. 3, following nearly a year of contract negotiations.

"This victory is a testament of our nurses’ commitment to patient care," said Chrysse Blau, a nurse and the association's local president at South Shore University. "We’re proud of having raised our voices loud and clear to ensure nurses at South Shore get the contract we deserve."

The tentative agreement includes better staffing standards and pay raises, including experience pay to retain nurses, a release said. It also includes improved retirement health benefits.

Members will vote on whether to ratify the new agreement starting Friday.

More details on the agreement will be released after ratification, a release said.

"NYSNA nurses have a saying, 'Every patient is a VIP!'" said Blau. "We hope this is the beginning of a new era for our hospital, where this saying becomes a reality and nurses have the staffing and working conditions we need to provide our patients with the excellent care each of them deserves."

In a statement to Patch, a hospital spokesperson shared the following:

"South Shore University Hospital (SSUH) is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with NYSNA. From the start of negotiations, our sole focus remained on ensuring that our patients continue to receive world-class care and our dedicated nurses have the best working environment to provide that care.

The agreement provides our nurses with competitive salary increases and benefit enhancements and reaffirms our commitment that our patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care."

The agreement comes on the heels of a January nurses strike at two New York City hospitals. The nurses won "groundbreaking agreements" on enforceable safe staffing ratios and yearly salary increases of 7,6, and 5 percent, a release said.