By Jessica Easthope
New York City is experiencing biting cold temperatures this week, but on the picket line outside Mount Sinai Hospital in Morningside Heights, nurses say their work is on freeze until they get a fair contract. Safer staffing practices, comprehensive healthcare, more protections against workplace violence and better pay are what they’re asking for.
Catholic nurses say this is a matter of human dignity for both nurses and patients.
“If you or a family member were to go to the hospital, God forbid, would you want your nurse to be taking care of five patients or 15 to 20 people? Obviously, the answer is five,” said Christian Infante, a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital.
“As a Catholic, honestly, we were always taught that helping each other is number one,” said nurse Angeli Marcus. “We need a place where God should be the center, but sometimes we don’t feel that because of the harshness and hardship of the work.”
“We’ve had patients come and are yelling and screaming and swearing at us as we’re trying to save their lives and after we save their lives,” said Melissa Jelinek, a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Colleagues on our unit have been kicked in the head and had to go on leave because they’ve been concussed so badly and had to see neurologists. It’s got to stop. We love our jobs, we are called to do these professions, it’s a calling and we just want to take care of our patients. But we have to be able to do it safely.”
The nurses have already been to the negotiating table with hospital executives, but an agreement wasn’t reached. They say they plan to remain on strike until they can get a contract that reflects their worth to the healthcare system.