“This contract is not just about the money. We are fighting for all the things that make us, as nurses, better able to do our jobs. We need good, safe staffing ratios so that we can properly take care of our patients, who are the heart of what we do. We deserve a voice at the table and respect. Management continues to say no, to brazenly walk away from us when we are the backbone of this hospital. But we, 1199 nurses, will continue to fight for each other and for our patients in this contract.”

“Doing ancillary work has become the norm for us nurses. On a regular basis, we are nurse, tech, dietary, pharmacy, everything. We can’t function without the ancillary staff who keep our hospital running alongside us. In our first contract, we are asking for our job duties to be defined to promote safer staffing and better patient care. Management won’t agree to that basic professional standard, so qualified RNs will keep leaving and patients will suffer.”

“Management refuses to compensate our most senior nurses according to their expertise, so we struggle to retain experienced nurses. New nurses who come to train leave quickly because they are so underpaid and are placed in conditions that endanger their licenses. We are asking for fair compensation and our long overdue raises to stop losing qualified RNs and improve patient care, but management keeps saying no.”

“Winning our union, we now have a seat at the table with management when it comes to decision-making at our hospital. We must continue to stand united to win a contract that ensures better staffing ratios and a say in our benefits, including our retirement options, which will help us support nurses and our patients, who need us so much in the community.”

“It is going to take all of us standing together and supporting each other through negotiations to win the contract we deserve.”

“United together, we will fight for the staffing, pay, and retirement security we deserve in our first contract.”

“When we put our lives and our families’ lives on the line during the pandemic, management hailed us as ‘heroes.’ Now, these feel like empty words. During months of bargaining, we’ve called for changes that would improve staffing levels and patient care. Management has responded by disciplining us, firing a colleague, and targeting nurses who dare to speak up. Although we are fed up, we will continue to defend ourselves and our patients in this important contract fight.”