'Last Resort': St. Catherine Of Siena Of Smithtown Nurses Vote To Strike

SMITHTOWN, NY — Nurses at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital voted to authorize a strike, with 98 percent of nurses voting in favor of a work stoppage, the New York State Nurses Association announced Monday.

The Smithtown nurses have been working with an expired contract since July 31 and decided to vote on authorizing a strike after a "slow week of bargaining that saw little movement" on two of their key issues: safe staffing and respectful wages, the association said. Voting took place between Wednesday and Sunday.

"It’s simple — we are fighting for safe staffing for our patients and the wages we deserve and need to recruit and retain nurses," said Tammy Miller, union president of NYSNA at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital and nurse, said in a news release. "Striking is a last resort and not a decision we take lightly, but we’ve made our concerns clear to management and now it’s time for them to deliver."

If NYSNA nurses cannot reach a tentative agreement with St. Catherine of Siena administration, nurses would have to deliver a 10-day notice before going on strike. The nurses were set to go back to the bargaining table on Monday.

"Nurses at St. Catherine are done allowing management to treat us like zeroes, instead of heroes," said Lorraine Incarnato, a NYSNA nurse at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital. "This vote shows that nurses are united and ready to do whatever it takes to win a great contract for our patients and the Smithtown community!"

St. Catherine of Siena Hospital participated in 10 bargaining sessions with NYSNA and made "significant offers on wages, staffing and other matters of importance," a spokesperson for the hospital told Patch.

"We continue to bargain in good faith and remain committed to achieving a fair contract," the hospital wrote.

Since negotiations began on June 30, nurses have been clear about their commitment to doing "whatever it takes" to win a fair contract by packing the room during bargaining meetings, launching a petition campaign, and having more than 130 nurses march on the CEO to present their demands on July 26.