About 15,000 nurses in New York City went on a collective strike. Nurses working at hospitals across Manhattan and the Bronx began the strike at 6 a.m. on the 12th local time after contract talks with hospital management broke down recently. There is concern it could become the largest nurse strike in New York City history.
According to NPR and other U.S. public radio outlets that day, the striking nurses are members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and staged simultaneous pickets in front of hospitals under Mount Sinai Health System, Montefiore Medical Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. In front of Mount Sinai Hospital, nurses lined up from dawn to greet colleagues coming off the night shift and strengthen solidarity.
The union said the core reasons for the strike were chronic understaffing and workplace safety. Nurses said, "Since the COVID-19 pandemic, large-scale resignations and fewer new hires have left staffing levels unrecovered while patient demand has only increased." They said hospitals have delayed hiring for expense savings, leading to repeated situations in emergency rooms and intensive care units where one nurse cares for 14 to 15 patients at the same time. Nurses argued that this structure increases the risk of medical errors and directly threatens patient safety.
They also said safety problems have worsened in tandem with understaffing. Nurses pointed out, "Violence and gun threats in hospitals are increasing, but access control and security staffing are not adequate." They are demanding the installation of metal detectors at all hospital entrances and the constant deployment of personnel to respond to violence. In particular, they said, "Because of understaffing, security responses are delayed, and there are more cases where medical staff are directly exposed to danger."
In addition, the presence of federal immigration enforcement officers entering hospitals has become a source of conflict. Nurses said, "In situations where it is unclear whether immigration enforcement is occurring, both patients and medical staff are experiencing confusion," and demanded "clear response guidelines at the hospital level."
Hospital management said it is preparing to maintain medical services during the strike. Montefiore said, "This strike could last for weeks." Brendan Carr, CEO of Mount Sinai Health System, said in an internal memo to employees that "the operating plans for a prolonged strike and the staffing expense are considerable."
The union added that the strike comes as hospitals face financial pressure from federal cuts to Medicaid and medical subsidies. The existing collective bargaining agreement expired on Dec. 31 last year. The last large-scale nurse strike in New York City occurred in 2023, lasted three days, and resulted in promises of wage increases and staffing additions. The union said this strike aims to preserve those gains and push through additional demands such as addressing workplace violence.
Hospitals countered that accepting the union's wage and benefits package would increase expenses by billions of dollars over the coming years and add to financial burdens. The union pushed back, saying, "Even hospitals in worse financial condition have already reached agreements."
Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor, visited the strike site to express solidarity with nurses. Addressing hospital management, he urged sincere negotiations "so that the nurses who work in this city can afford to live in this city." State Attorney General Letitia James also noted, "If hospitals have the resources to hire replacement staff, they have enough capacity to meet the nurses' demands."
Preparing for a prolonged strike, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency and issued an executive order allowing medical personnel from other states and Canada to practice in New York. Health authorities are coordinating patient transfers among hospitals and reallocating staff to protect patient safety and minimize care gaps during the strike.