The Federation of Nurses/ UFT sent a 10-day strike notification to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn on Tuesday night, Feb. 18.

Unions are required by federal labor law to give healthcare institutions 10 days' written notice of a potential strike, picketing, or work action. The Federation of Nurses/UFT's contract with NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn ends at midnight on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

"The hospital has put patients and nurses at risk with its chronic understaffing," said Anne Goldman, head of the Federation of Nurses/UFT, which represents roughly 1,000 nurses at NYU Langone Hospital- Brooklyn and 16,000 nurses across New York State.

"Hospital management has shown it doesn't care about patients. It is the nurses who are advocating for what patients need - the correct number of nurses, properly trained, with the right equipment. That is what we are demanding in our contract. It is time for NYU Langone to put patients before profits," Goldman said.

Nurses at NYU's Brooklyn hospital documented over 8,000 cases of short staffing in the past 36 months. Each alleges a violation of nurse-to-patient ratios, set by state law and by the nurses' own contract with NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.

Independent arbitrators have sided with the Federation of Nurses/UFT and have repeatedly found the hospital ignored established nurse-to-patient ratios.

“Our patients deserve better. We are the only magnet-designated hospital in the city of Brooklyn. That is a huge accomplishment. That is not an accomplishment of NYU, that is an accomplishment of the Federation of Nurses/UFT who work inside that hospital. The support that we offer them is the reason why that magnet designation is there," said union member Rebecca Morogiello, a registered nurse and case manager at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said NYU Langone management's priorities were focused on promoting its glossy public image, including a reported $8 million Super Bowl ad buy, rather than investing in competitive wages for its nurses and addressing the chronic staffing problems.

"NYU Langone has shown they don't care about the day-to-day management of their Brooklyn hospital. If they did, they wouldn't be putting patients at risk and burning out nurses with chronic understaffing," Mulgrew said. "Peel back NYU's pretty purple veneer, and the reality is not so pretty. That's why we are standing with the Federation of Nurses/UFT."

Goldman added: "It is the responsibility of the hospital to be prepared for bargaining and to negotiate a good contract with competitive salaries to recruit and retain nurses. There is no need to drag out bargaining and not reward nurses at this Level 1 Trauma Center, a Magnet award hospital with the prestigious Lantern Award.  All these accolades are due to the nurses that make this hospital what it is."

Mulgrew, Goldman, and nurses are available for interviews.