Overview:
At a strike by nurses outdoors NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia Hospital, Haitian American well being care employees describe unsafe working situations, affected person violence and the monetary pressure of strolling off the job. Interviews with emergency room and pediatric nurses, in addition to union management, the story highlights how labor rights, immigration and household duty intersect for Haitian Individuals on the entrance traces of New York Metropolis’s well being care system.
NEW YORK — In early January, Nancy Hagans was delivering remarks at a cultural occasion in downtown Brooklyn honoring her service as a nurse when she obtained the discover.
One other taking pictures had simply occurred at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital about two miles away, Hagans introduced to a gaggle gathered at Borough Corridor for a Haitian independence celebration. The nurse, president of the New York State nurses affiliation, informed the group that such incidents have been frequent in well being care workplaces.
To demand stronger protections towards office violence and tackle different points affecting working situations, Hagans led about 15,000 nurses to the streets on Jan. 12 within the greatest strike of their career. Their aim is to power higher employment phrases for nurses after negotiations stalled with 10 non-public well being care programs.
Among the many faces calling out for honest contracts on the picket line are these of Haitians like Hagans seen wherever and all over the place individuals want care throughout town. Lengthy a fixture within the care financial system, current estimates from the Heart for Financial and Coverage Analysis put the variety of Haitians Individuals who work in healthcare at over 20 %, greater than in some other business. Now, disagreement with administration over their contract phrases has pushed them to the picket line.
The Haitian Occasions interviewed a number of Haitian American nurses, together with an emergency room nurse, a pediatric nurse, a union organizer and a nurse practitioner. Hagans, who’s main the cost to barter a brand new contract, has cut up her time between the negotiating desk and the picket line. When the registered nurse does be a part of the rallies, she speaks forcefully to the non-public hospitals’ administration.
Listed here are just a few of their tales.
The emergency room nurse who made it from housekeeping
When Andrelle Semexant moved to the U.S. from Haiti in 2012, she sought out a nursing diploma to assist her construct a life serving to others. Over time, she labored her means up from housekeeping to Emergency Division nurse at NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia Hospital.
In 2023, she started working as a nurse on the day shift, 8 a.m. to eight:30 p.m., three days per week. She has been in a position to handle her 7-year-old daughter and supply medical health insurance for the kid and her husband.
However within the position, the nurse has had sufferers lash out at her, together with throwing a cup of water in her face, after lacking a meal. She stated he yelled at her.
“‘You’re supposed to offer me meals!’’ However, “as soon as breakfast is completed, it’s achieved,” Semexant informed him.
Whereas meals service will not be below her management, she bears the brunt of the sufferers’ frustration as a staffer on the entrance traces of a busy emergency division.
Metallic detectors on the entrance don’t catch all weapons, like these made with out steel. And so they miss those on sufferers who arrive in an ambulance.
Whereas coping with such eventualities repeatedly, the place staffers usually tend to get damage, administration at her hospital needs to get rid of the medical health insurance profit nurses have all the time obtained with out cost. Along with her husband and daughter relying on her for his or her medical health insurance, Semexant stated they’re praying nobody will get sick whereas she’s hanging.
“It is senseless — as a nurse, you’re saying that I don’t have correct well being care,” she stated.
“In case you go [to work] someplace each day, you should get respect, you should go to work and really feel I’m coming again safely,” Semexant stated.
Earlier than the strike, Semexant would decide up shifts to assist pay bills, like her faculty mortgage, automobile mortgage and lease. She additionally despatched cash to household again in Haiti.
“Haitians,” she stated, “we handle individuals again dwelling — they all the time want a bit assist right here and there.”
The pediatric nurse who plans forward to afford to strike
Coming to the picket line will not be a straightforward determination. For many individuals, it requires planning forward since they aren’t being paid neither is their medical health insurance coated whereas on strike.
Gleenda Stilen is amongst those that felt the sacrifice is price it. To organize for the strike, she paid some payments forward of time. Nonetheless, on day 9 of the strike, because the non-public hospitals had managed to fill roles by hiring nurses briefly from different states, Stilen voiced considerations.
“If this does delay, I’m going to must both dip into some financial savings or discover a per diem job,” she stated.
She additionally has no medical health insurance whereas on strike, which considerations her. “I’m very apprehensive about that,” Stilen stated. “I had a few physician’s appointments arrange and I needed to cancel these.”
As a nurse, Stilen thinks it’s particularly essential she has free well being care protection.
“For us to be paying for our well being care, it’s not honest,” she stated. “We’re on the entrance line. We’re coping with everyone that’s sick, the sickest of the sick. For us to get good well being advantages is the explanation why lots of people change into nurses. Sure, to handle individuals, however to additionally get these advantages.”
The growing lack of security additionally drew her out.
Working in pediatrics means she offers with mother and father who could take their emotions out on workers. “I’ve been yelled at, I’ve been pushed, I’ve been shoved off of a kid and all I’m attempting to do is our job to assist the kid get higher or ultimately be identified to allow them to go dwelling.”
As an answer, Stilen want to see safety reply extra shortly, “to be proper on the bedside in possibly three minutes or much less,” she stated.
The Nurse Practitioner who has ‘everybody’s again’
Joanne Popotte, a nurse practitioner, took to the rostrum on Jan. 19 outdoors NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia Hospital in Washington Heights. In her different position as govt committee president of the Native Bargaining Unit for the New York State Nurses Affiliation, she shared messages of solidarity with the NYP nurses.
After her speech, Popotte, whose household is from Haiti, spoke about all of the nurses with Haitian ties.
“Haitian persons are robust. They’re fighters. They’re resilient. They by no means surrender. And that’s what I got here out of,” she stated.
“Proper now, I’m standing with my immigrant group. I’m preventing alongside them. With all that’s occurring with the Trump administration, I acquired their again 150%, and that’s in my blood.”
The nurse on the negotiating desk — and the rostrum
As negotiations continued with the assorted hospitals, Hagans made stops on the space rallies. On Jan. 20, she was at Mount Sinai West Hospital, flanked by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Hagans stated the well being advantages and office violence protections they need from Mount Sinai, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian have been granted from safety-net medical centers.
In her speech, Hagans stated, “The eight poorest hospitals in New York Metropolis have managed to agree to offer employees violence safety. They’ve agreed to offer advantages, well being advantages. They’ve agreed to enhance on staffing. The three richest hospitals in New York Metropolis, the place the CEOs are making hundreds of thousands, have refused.”
Then, Hagans yelled, “What the hell’s the matter with you?”
Although the query of nurses’ salaries, which aren’t a part of the bargaining discussions, have been reported by native shops, Hagans made it clear {that a} pay increase was not their concern.
“We’ll all the time negotiate on wages, however we won’t lower corners relating to our sufferers’ security,” she stated.
On Jan. 25, the nurses’ union announced the present well being advantages would stay efficient on account of negotiations by way of mediators for Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian. Nonetheless, till all agreements are addressed, they wrote, they are going to resume the strike on Jan. 28, following a two-day pause as a result of weekend snowstorm.