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NEW YORK — <\/span>New York City nurses who walked off the job<\/a> are set to resume negotiations with hospital administrators Thursday to try to bring an end to the city’s biggest nursing strike in decades.<\/p>\n The New York State Nurses Association said its bargaining members will meet with their counterparts at NewYork-Presbyterian late Thursday, the fourth day of the strike.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll meet with officials at other affected hospitals, including Mount Sinai and Montefiore, on Friday, though the union said some have not yet agreed to a sit-down.<\/p>\n Each medical center is negotiating with the union independently, and not every hospital run by the three health care systems is affected by the strike. <\/p>\n The opposing sides haven\u2019t met since Sunday, the day before roughly 15,000 unionized nurses walked off the job.<\/p>\n Hospitals have hired thousands of temporary nurses to keep emergency rooms and other facilities operating during the strike.<\/p>\n The nurses say they\u2019re seeking to protect their health care benefits, as well as secure contract provisions addressing staffing levels and safety against workplace violence. <\/p>\n Sheryl Ostroff, a Mount Sinai nurse, said nurses often bear the brunt of patients\u2019 frustrations, and interactions can quickly become violent.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been scratched in the face, I have been bitten in multiple places, I have been kicked in the ribs where it leaves bruises, spit on, pushed, punched, sexually assaulted \u2014 you name it,\u201d she said at a union rally Thursday. \u201cIt\u2019s not acceptable, and we want our hospitals to protect us. Why is that a hard ask?\u201d<\/p>\n The hospitals say the unions are seeking \u201cunrealistic\u201d and unaffordable pay raises.<\/p>\n Mount Sinai says the union’s proposals would raise the average annual salary of its nurses from roughly $162,000 to nearly $250,000 in three years, while Montefiore says theirs would rise to $220,000. <\/p>\n The union dismissed the claims as \u201coutlandish math,\u201d but declined to provide countering figures. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are committed to keep negotiating for a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our deep respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today\u2019s healthcare environment,\u201d NewYork-Presbyterian said in a statement Thursday.<\/p>\n Nurses\u2019 union leaders held a rally<\/a> alongside elected officials and members of other major city labor unions Thursday in front of Mount Sinai\u2019s Morningside campus. <\/p>\n The hospital, located near Columbia University in upper Manhattan, is among those that have not yet agreed to resume contract talks, according to the union.<\/p>\n Simone Way, a nurse at Mount Sinai Morningside, said she and her fellow nurses have \u201csounded the alarm for years\u201d about proper staffing levels, but administrators have refused to listen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is incredibly hard to deliver the level of care our patients deserve,\u201d she said at the rally. \u201cThere are limits to what good nurses can do.\u201d<\/p>\n A Mount Sinai spokesperson didn\u2019t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the rally or the status of contract talks.<\/p>\n Brendan Carr, the health system\u2019s CEO, said in a video released earlier Thursday<\/a> that some unionized nurses who have opted to work instead of joining the picket line have been subjected to harassment and intimidation.<\/p>\n \u201cBullying, intimidating and threatening devalues nurses, undermines our culture, and is not consistent with our values at Mount Sinai,\u201d he said, addressing hospital staff. \u201cYou deserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n The union, which filed an unfair labor practice charge against Mount Sinai for terminating the three nurses<\/a> on the eve of the strike, didn\u2019t immediately respond.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow Philip Marcelo at https:\/\/x.com\/philmarcelo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n