NEW YORK — Thousands of nurses walked off the job early Monday at two major New York City hospitals after contract talks disintegrated overnight, leaving Mount Sinai in Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx struggling to care for patients.
In parallel chaotic scenes across two boroughs, striking nurses began picketing in the early morning hours as both hospitals were left without a total of more than 7,000 unionized nurses seeking better working conditions and higher pay.
“I’m here because we’re tired. We are tired,” said Louise Louanga, who walked a picket line at Mount Sinai where she’s worked as a nurse since 1991. “Every day we are short.”
