June 8, 2004 – Home health care workers in New York City reached a deal with five staffing agencies, including the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, for an increase in hourly wages to $10 from $7 after 10,000 striking aides demanded livable wages. The strike will continue with another set of 10,000 workers demanding similar wage increases from six other New York city medical staffing agencies. Separately, thousands of teachers, police officers and firefighers in New York city are preparing to strike against the city goverment run by governor Michael Bloomberg, for fair labor contracts. Unions representing the city workers insist a contract approved earlier does not give sufficient raises to workers.
