New York City hospitals were short some 15,000 nurses starting 6 a.m. from Jan. 12, leaving major private hospitals without the critical skills of unionized nurses. Leaders with the New York State Nurses Association say they have not reached contract agreements with major private hospitals like Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai, and New York-Presbyterian, triggering a major strike.
The work stoppage follows a marathon weekend of failed negotiations with some of the city’s wealthiest private medical institutions. Several “safety-net” hospitals, which serve many of the city’s Black and Brown communities, reached tentative agreements last week. Hospitals that remain open with ratified or tentative agreements include: Maimonides Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health (Interfaith and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Centers), BronxCare Health System, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, and Richmond University Medical Center.
“Striking is always a last resort,” New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) President Nancy Hagans said in a video statement, “but greedy hospital management at wealthy private hospitals has given frontline nurses no other choice.”
The nurses are looking for contract agreements that would offer them comprehensive healthcare coverage; better, enforceable staffing ratios, enhanced workplace safety, protections for vulnerable patients, preservation of ongoing pension plans without reductions, and the development of a model AI language system to guarantee that patients are consistently attended to by a qualified nurse at their bedside.
NewYork-Presbyterian said that it is negotiating a new contract with NYSNA, and added that its contract only covers nurses at “NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (Upper Manhattan), NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital (Upper Manhattan), NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital (Inwood), and NewYork-Presbyterian Ambulatory Care Network (ACN – Columbia affiliated only). No other NewYork-Presbyterian campuses are affected by the strike.”
Montefiore’s homepage also noted that its services “will not be impacted by a possible nurses’ strike. All patient appointments remain scheduled unless you hear directly from your provider.” Joe Solmonese, Montefiore’s senior vice president, strategic communications, said, “NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job. We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had been endorsed by NYSNA during his mayoral campaign, addressed the protest on Monday. “For too many of the 15,000 NYSNA nurses who are on strike, they are not able to make their ends meet. They are not asking for a multi-million dollar salary. What they are asking for is for their pensions to be safeguarded, to be protected in their own workplace, to receive the pay, and the health benefits that they deserve,” Mamdani said. “New Yorkers have a right to quality health care, as do the nurses who provide that care.
“My job as mayor is to protect both of those rights, to stand alongside the working people who stand with us every day, and to build a city where everyone can live a life of dignity, not just those with the most means,” he continued. “So know this: New York City will do everything in our power to ensure the sick and injured can continue to receive high-quality care, and we will do so while refusing to abandon those who have time and again refused to abandon us.”
NYSNA’s Hagen said the union still wants to negotiate a new contract, but it is tired of what it deems threats, union busting, and retaliation for speaking out about workplace violence issues. “Our message to New Yorkers is that, if you are sick, please do not delay getting medical care. During our strike, we would rather be the ones providing that care, but our bosses have pushed us onto the strike line.
“We appreciate solidarity from our patients, but going into the hospital to get the care you need isn’t costing us at the picket line. In fact, we invite you to come join us on the strike line after you’ve gotten the care you need.”