2023 Nursing Strikes and Their Outcomes

Nurses are a crucial part of the healthcare industry, playing a vital role in patient care and well-being. However, in recent years, the United States has witnessed an increase in nurse strikes, which serve as a means for nurses to demand better working conditions and advocate for their rights.

First, we will go over what a strike means and then the nursing strikes we’ve had in 2023.

Understanding Nurse Strikes

A nurse strike is a labor action where nurses refuse to work as a form of protest against their employer. It is a response to various issues such as poor working conditions, inadequate staffing, low wages, and lack of benefits. Nurse strikes aim to bring attention to these concerns and prompt employers to address them by disrupting the provision of healthcare services.

Consequences and Risks of Nurse Strikes

Nurse strikes can have both immediate and long-term consequences for nurses and patients alike. Patients may experience:

Delays in receiving care
Potential lack of attention during the strike

Nurses who participate in strikes face:

Financial loss
Potential damage to their professional standing
Disruptions to their personal and family lives

However, nurses typically view strikes as a last resort after exhausting other communication and negotiation channels.

Reasons for Nurse Strikes

Nurses engage in strikes due to several underlying issues, including:

Poor working conditions
Low wages
Inadequate staffing
Lack of benefits

Increasing demands placed on nurses include:

Additional roles
Extra shifts
Heavier patient loads, contribute to stress, burnout, and compromised patient care.

Impact of Nurse Strikes on Patients

Nurse strikes have a significant impact on patients, affecting their access to quality healthcare. This can result in:

Increased risks of medical errors, infections, and complications
Challenges for patients requiring specialized treatment or 24-hour care
Exacerbation of existing staffing issues, compromising patient safety

Expectations During Nurse Strikes

When nurse strikes are anticipated, several key actions and measures are typically implemented, including:

Striking nurses providing advance notice
Employment of temporary replacements, such as travel nurses, to fill staffing gaps
Transfer of patients to adjacent healthcare institutions
Hiring temporary employees to assist during the strike

However, the presence of unfamiliar staff and protocols can result in potential inconsistencies in patient care and lower-quality service.

The Future of Nurse Strikes

Given the ongoing challenges faced by nurses, including staffing shortages and inadequate working conditions, nurse strikes are expected to continue in the coming years. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, with a significant reduction in the nursing workforce. Nurses will likely persist in their demands for:

Better wages
Improved working conditions
Adequate staffing ratios to ensure safe and effective patient care.

Nurse Strikes in 2023

The following are notable nurse strikes that occurred in the year 2023:

January 2023: Seven Hospitals in New York City

Who: 12,000 nurses at seven hospitals in New York City, including:

Health System of BronxCare
Hospital Medical Center of Flushing
Medical Center of Maimonides
Mount Sinai Bronx
Mt. Sinai Medical Center
Mount Sinai West and Morningside
University Medical Center of Richmond

Reason: The strike was in response to:

Inadequate staff members
Frequent staff turnover
Fatigue

Outcome: After a three-day strike, the parties reached an agreement on a three-year contract. The contract included the following provisions:

Introduction of enhanced staffing standards and enforcement
Improvement in healthcare benefits
Salary increases of 7%, 6%, and 5% over the three-year contract period

January 9-11, 2023: Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital, New York

Who: 7,000 nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York

Reason: The strike was in response to:

Numerous staffing shortages
Fatigued nurses from pandemic-related overwork
Inadequate training process for new nurses
Nurses managing dangerously high caseloads

Outcome: After coming to tentative deals with management on better staffing and pay, the strike was ended by thousands of New York City nurses. The tentative agreements at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan involve raises totaling 19% over three years.

January 2023: MyMichigan Alma and McLaren Central in Michigan

Who: 150 nurses work at MyMichigan Alma and 100 at McLaren Central in Michigan

Reason: Nurses at MyMichigan Alma and McLaren Central had been working under expired contracts since November 2022.

They claimed that hospitals engaged in unfair labor practices, such as bad faith negotiating.

Outcome: A strike was averted as agreements were reached before a settlement.

Agreements were reached, preventing the need for a work stoppage.
A new three-year contract was approved by the nurses at McLaren Central Hospital in Mount Pleasant, and nurses at MyMichigan Alma endorsed their tentative deal.
Both contracts were immediately implemented upon ratification.

February 27, 2023: South Shore University Hospital Northwell Health (SSUH) in Bay Shore, New York

Who: 800 employees at South Shore University Hospital Northwell Health (SSUH) in Bay Shore, New York

Reason: The strike was in response to:

Better salaries
Safe staffing ratios

Outcome: A strike was averted as a tentative deal was struck. The tentative agreement includes provisions for:

Wage increase
Improved compensation to retain nurses
Enforcement of safe staffing standards
Enhancements to retiree health benefits

March 20, 2023: Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California

Who: 700 employees at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Reason: The strike was in response to:

Unfair contract
Retaliation threats against workers’ rights to engage in concerted union activity
Interference with union bargaining committee member’s participation in contract negotiations
Failure to provide timely information requested for negotiations
Refusal to address low wages in negotiations

Outcome: This one-day strike marked the first strike in the union’s 19-year history. The purpose of the strike was to pressure the hospital’s management to cease illegal bargaining strategies and engage in sincere talks to address high employee turnover. Discussions for a new collective bargaining agreement are underway between employees and Henry Mayo.

March 28, 2023: MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, California

Who: Nearly 600 nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center

Reason: The strike was in response to:

Alleged hospital administration’s refusal to address nurses’ concerns regarding patient care, safe staffing, nurse retention, and recruitment

Outcome: A strike was averted as registered nurses tentatively agreed to a three-year contract on March 21, 2023. The contract includes provisions for:

Health and safety measures
Provision of personal protective equipment (PPE)
Establishment of an Infectious Disease Subcommittee
Implementation of safe staffing provisions
Health benefits improvements
Measures to enhance nurse retention and recruitment
A 16.5% wage increase over three years

May 2-4, 2023: St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, California, and John Muir Behavioral Health Center in Concord, California

Who: 200 registered nurses at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, California, and 78 registered nurses at John Muir Behavioral Health Center in Concord, California

Reason: The strike was in response to:

Hazardous staffing levels
Poor working conditions
Inadequate pay
Management’s refusal to respond to nurses’ requests for fair contracts

Outcome: At the last minute, a two-day nurses’ strike at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward was called off due to progress in contract negotiations. The contract negotiated by the John Muir nurses and the union after 30 bargaining sessions may be put to a vote if the union leaders agree or permit a vote.

May: PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital (PIH GSH) in Los Angeles, California

Who: Registered nurses at PIH Health-Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California

Reason: The registered nurses at PIH Health-Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California had concerns regarding patient safety due to management actions, including:

Understaffing
Inadequate supervision of safe meals and rest breaks by RNs
Poor patient outcomes

Outcome: Strike averted

A one-day strike scheduled to start on May 11 was avoided.
Registered nurses reached a tentative deal on May 6, 2023.
The agreement will be in effect until November 2025.

May 22, 2023: HCA Healthcare

Who: 3,000 healthcare workers at HCA Healthcare

Reason: The healthcare workers at HCA Healthcare had concerns regarding:

Staff shortage
Nurse retention
Poor working conditions

Outcome: Strike averted

Five HCA hospitals in California were at risk of being impacted by the strike.
Negotiations between the parties resulted in the cancellation of the strike.
A tentative agreement was reached on the new contract.
The agreement includes significant investments in the workforce and salary increases to retain experienced healthcare workers.
Over a period of three years, a raise of 15% will be implemented.
The agreement also ensures the protection of healthcare and education benefits for workers.

June 12, 2023: St. Charles Health System’s Bend in Central Oregon

Who: Nearly 1,000 nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association at St. Charles Health System’s Bend in Central Oregon

Reason: The nurses at St. Charles Health System’s Bend had concerns regarding:

Inadequate staffing to meet patient demand
Better pay
Nurse retention issues

Outcome: Strike averted

After over 40 hours of negotiations, the Oregon Nurses Association and St. Charles Bend reached a tentative contract early on Thursday.
The tentative agreement addresses several key issues, including:
Guaranteed meal breaks
Increased compensation
Security of employment in the event of a change in hospital ownership
The agreement is subject to the approval of the nearly 1,000 nurses represented by the nurses’ union, who must vote on the tentative agreement.

June 12, 2023: NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

Who: About 1,250 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

Reason: The nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital had concerns regarding:

Staffing cuts leading to unsafe patient care

Outcome: Strike averted

Nurses were initially scheduled to go on an indefinite strike on June 12.
However, a new contract has been approved by members of the New York State Nurses Association, allowing them to avoid the strike.
The agreement includes the following provisions:
- Full retroactive pay for the nurses
- Three years’ worth of pay increases totaling 18%.
These terms ensure that nurses will receive fair compensation for their work.

June 19, 2023, Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital, and Providence Home Health and Hospice

Who: Roughly 1,800 nurses at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital, and Providence Home Health and Hospice

Reason: The nurses at these facilities have raised concerns about:

Unfair labor practices
Failing practice standards
Overuse of temporary nurses
Unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios
Failed nurse retention
In late May and early June, union members voted to approve strikes.
Contract talks between nurses, clinicians, and management began in the fall of 2022.
The most recent contract expired in 2022.

Outcome: Current negotiations and bargaining are ongoing.

Looking at the financials for Providence in Oregon

1st quarter numbers of 2023

Total hospital value of assets: $28,806,511,000

Net assets (assets – liabilities): $17,224,530,000
Cash and Cash equivalents on hand: $1,233,382,000
From 2019-2022 total salaries and benefits went up 15%
- This doesn’t mean RNs got paid 15% more, the total of all employees, CEOs, Managers, administrators, and benefits
Operating expenses Q1 2023: -$345,000,000 (-$510,000,000 in 2022)
- Keep in mind hospitals lost millions to billions of dollars in 2021 and 2022 but it looks like they are slowly making it back

https://www.providence.org/about/financial-statements

June 27, 2023: Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin (ASMCA)

Who: 900 registered nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin (ASMCA)

Reason: The registered nurses at ASMCA have cited concerns related to:

Unsafe staffing levels
Alleged mismanagement of resources by hospital administrators

Outcome: Current negotiations and bargaining are ongoing. Historic one-day strike at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin (ASMCA), the largest nurse strike in Texas history.

Nurses were locked out until July 1st as the hospital hired temp nurses to fill the strike.
Nurses will not be sharing details of negotiations publicly, out of respect for the process and to ensure Ascension will settle strong contracts as soon as possible.

https://www.nursetogether.com/nurse-strikes/

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/250grmnCPXM