Northwell, nurses union negotiations continue as health system activates contingency plan ahead of possible strike

Northwell Health is bringing on contingency nurses in preparation for a potential strike as contract negotiations with unionized nurses continue, hospital officials said Thursday.

More than 1,000 nurses at Northwell hospitals in Plainview, Syosset and Huntington could strike as early as Monday, when a 10-day strike countdown initiated by the New York State Nurses Association on Jan. 2 is set to expire. The union issued the notice after the two sides failed to reach an agreement by Dec. 31.

“We continue to engage constructively at the bargaining table on a daily basis,” Northwell said in an email response to Newsday. “We have been at the table for the past 12 months and have made significant progress, reaching dozens of tentative agreements on various aspects of the contracts. Discussions are ongoing and Northwell remains committed to finding common ground.”

Nurses said a key sticking point in negotiations has been inadequate staffing levels and nurse-to-patient ratios that have created unsustainable workloads and made it difficult to recruit and retain staff.

Union leaders criticized the health system, saying it has refused to meaningfully address staffing concerns.

“Northwell’s behavior is absolutely disgusting,” NYSNA president Nancy Hagans said in a statement Thursday. “Instead of coming to the table and agreeing to safe staffing ratios that protect Long Island patients, Northwell is playing games with nurses’ time.”

Local nurses said current staffing expectations are unrealistic.

“They are trying to get us to take up to nine to 12 patients when what we are asking for is something that is safe,” said Grace Silva, 39, a nurse at Huntington Hospital and a member of the union’s bargaining committee. “It’s totally unrealistic.”

Union officials did not specify the exact ratios they are seeking in the three contracts.

Northwell disputed the union’s claims, saying patient care remains safe under current staffing practices.

“Those claims are false and misleading,” said Barbara Osborn, the health system’s deputy chief public relations officer, in an emailed statement. “We staff our units consistent with patient needs, acuity, and clinical judgment.”

Osborn said Northwell has continued to negotiate in good faith. The contingency plan in the event of a strike includes using nurses from Northwell’s internal staffing agency and temporary nursing staff from a New York State-accredited health care service agency, she said.

The Long Island negotiations come as NYSNA is bargaining with hospitals across New York City. More than 16,000 nurses at five city hospitals also are poised to strike Monday.

Nursing strikes remain relatively rare, said Wendy Darwell, president and CEO of the Suburban Hospital Alliance, a regional trade group representing hospitals on Long Island.

Darwell said she could not recall a Long Island strike during her 18-year tenure at the Alliance, and she expressed confidence that both sides would reach agreements.

The last time Long Island nurses went on strike was in 2001, when 475 full-time and part-time nurses at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown walked off the job over mandatory overtime and health benefits, according to Newsday records.

A strike, Darwell said, would have a "significant impact" on communities, and could result in some delays in less time-sensitive medical procedures.

But she added hospitals have faced staffing challenges since the pandemic and have developed strategies to balance patient needs with fewer workers, including shifting staff and resources among facilities within health systems.