Nurses' 3-day strike in New York City ends

A three-day strike by more than 7,000 nurses at two major New York City hospitals ended Thursday after tentative deals that include wage increases and the creation of hundreds of new nursing positions.

The deals at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx include a commitment to safer staffing ratios. Nurses began returning to work at both hospitals Thursday morning after the deals were announced.

The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), New York's largest union, which represents more than 42,000 members, said in a statement Thursday that for nurses at Montefiore, the tentative deal would include a 19.1 percent wage increase over three years, the creation of more than 170 new nursing positions and healthcare coverage for eligible nurses, according to The New York Times.

The tentative agreement at Mount Sinai also includes the same wage increases and establishes staffing ratios for the first time for all inpatient units with an enforcement mechanism, the union said, according to the Times.

Nurses will vote next week to approve the deal.

Union President Nancy Hagans on Thursday said in a statement that the tentative deals are "a historic victory for New York City nurses and for nurses across the country".

"Today, we can return to work with our heads held high, knowing that our victory means safer care for our patients and more sustainable jobs for our profession," she said.

Union officials said there were more than 700 open nursing positions at Montefiore and 3,500 working nurses. At Mount Sinai, there were about 500 open positions, and 3,600 working nurses, according to the Times.

The hospitals have remained open during the three-day strike, using higher-cost temporary nursing services to provide care and transferring other staff to non-medical nursing duties. They had to postpone non-emergency surgeries and transferred some patients to other hospitals.