Talks continue to avoid nurse strike at 3 NYC hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — With a Monday strike deadline looming, contract negotiations are continuing between three large New York City hospitals and the nurses’ union. Still unsettled Sunday are contract terms for nearly 9,000 nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West. New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans says staffing levels are the primary issue.  The nurses say in the absence of an agreement, they are prepared to walk out at 6 a.m. Monday.  The hospitals have taken steps to prepare for a strike through patient transfers, directing ambulances elsewhere and postponing elective surgeries.