Nurses poised to strike at 2 big New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Nurses at two of New York City’s largest hospitals are poised to go on strike Monday in a dispute over pay and staffing levels. The walkout is set to begin at 6 a.m. if a deal is not reached before then. It would involve as many as 3,500 nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and around 3,600 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. The union representing the nurses says they are being forced to strike because of chronic understaffing that compromises safety. The hospitals say a strike will force them to transfer patients, divert ambulances and postpone elective medical procedures.