On strike: Nearly 15,000 nurses in New York City walk out

In what union leaders described as the largest nursing strike ever in New York City, nearly 15,000 nurses walked off the job Monday.

Nurses at three different New York health systems went on the picket lines. The New York State Nurses Association began a strike at Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian. Some other facilities are affected by the strike.

Nurses began picketing outside hospitals Monday morning. They say they are seeking better pay and commitments to more staffing to improve safety. The health systems say the salary demands are exorbitant, using terms such as “reckless” and “extreme.”

Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association, said “striking is always a last resort, but greedy hospital management at wealthy private hospitals … have given frontline nurses no other choice.”

“We continue to call on hospital management to come to the table and settle contracts that keep patients and nurses safe, just like our safety net facilities have done already,” Hagans said.

Nurses at several of the city-run hospitals reached agreements in recent days to avert a strike. Three hospitals with Northwell Health also brokered a deal with the nurses to avoid a walkout, the union.

Union leaders say the key issues driving the strike are ensuring sufficient staffing to protect patient care, preserving the healthcare benefits of nurses, and protections from workplace violence.

The nursing union had talks with the private nonprofit hospital systems over the weekend in hopes of reaching an agreement, but the negotiations were unsuccessful.

The affected Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian facilities remain open and are continuing to provide care, turning to staffing agencies for temporary nurses. The hospitals urged patients to maintain their appointments unless they hear about changes in plans from their providers.

The health systems said they hoped to avert the walkout.

In a statement, Mount Sinai said, “NYSNA decided to move forward with its strike while refusing to move on from its extreme economic demands, which we cannot agree to, but we are ready with 1,400 qualified and specialized nurses – and prepared to continue to provide safe patient care for as long as this strike lasts."

NewYork-Presbyterian said in a news release that the system is focused on its patients.

"This strike is designed to create disruption, but we have taken the necessary steps so our patients continue to receive the care they trust us to provide,” NewYork-Presbyterian said. “We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment.”

NewYork-Presbyterian said it had offered “significant wage increases” to nurses.

Joe Solmonese, senior vice president of strategic communications at Montefiore, criticized the union’s “reckless demands” for wage increases.

“We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last,” Solmonese said.

The nurses’ union says the hospitals are also threatening to “radically cut” the health benefits of nurses. The hospitals say they provide robust health benefit packages for their nurses.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted a statement on X standing with the nurses.

“Their worth is not negotiable. Fair pay, safe conditions, dignity now. NYC stands with nurses and demands good faith bargaining for justice and care for all,” Mamdani said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order over the weekend designed to help hospital systems maintain patient care.

“My top priority is protecting patients and ensuring they can access the care they need,” Hochul said in a statement. “At the same time, we must reach an agreement that recognizes the essential work nurses do every day on the front lines of our healthcare system.”

The governor urged both sides to “reach an agreement as soon as possible.”

In January 2023, thousands of nurses in New York went on strike before reaching an agreement on a contract. In that clash, nurses ultimately secured raises of 19.2% over a three-year period.

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente union workers went on strike in 2023 in what union leaders said was the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history before reaching an agreement.

About 15,000 Minnesota nurses took part in a three-day strike in September 2022, and labor and management agreed on a deal later that year.