The strike involving nearly 15,000 nurses at hospitals in New York City — the largest of its kind in the city’s history — reached its fourth day Jan. 15.
Four things to know:
1. Members of the New York State Nurses Association went on strike Jan. 12 at several hospitals within Montefiore Health System, Mount Sinai Health System and NewYork-Presbyterian. The union has been in negotiations with the systems for months on new contracts covering safe staffing, healthcare benefits and workplace violence protections, according to a Jan. 15 union news release. Previous contracts expired Dec. 31.
2. The union is set to meet with hospital leaders Jan. 15-16 in sessions with a mediator, according to the union release.
NewYork-Presbyterian is scheduled to bargain with the union Jan. 15, a system spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s.
At Mount Sinai, there has been no progress over the last two days to reach an agreement that balances nurses’ contributions with long-term financial realities, health system CEO Brendan Carr, MD, said in a Jan. 14 statement.
“Instead of agreeing to fair contracts that protect patient and nurse safety, the city’s wealthy hospitals have tried to roll back safe staffing, push forward cuts to healthcare coverage, and reject our solutions to address workplace violence,” the union said.
Mount Sinai has extended its nonrefundable contract to ensure it has a workforce to support ongoing safe operations, Dr. Carr said.
“This investment consumes limited resources that I would have preferred to direct to our nurses,” he said. “Our negotiators are ready when NYSNA is ready to bargain, and will continue to follow the lead of the mediators to help us reach a deal.”
3. The hospitals have called the union’s proposals for raises “unrealistic.”
“Our nurses are among the highest paid in the city, and we are prepared to offer wage increases, but NYSNA’s latest proposal for an approximately 25% wage increase would amount to more than $2 billion over the next three years, which is unrealistic,” a NewYork-Presbyterian said in a statement shared with Becker’s.
Mount Sinai also characterized the proposals as unreasonable.
“Unfortunately, NYSNA has yet to provide an offer that could be considered reasonable, instead sticking to proposals that would cost $1.6 billion over three years just at The Mount Sinai Hospital, raising average nurse pay to close to $250,000, which is before factoring in the contributions we make to benefits,” a Mount Sinai spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker’s.
Meanwhile, the union has highlighted the systems’ executive pay and profits.
“As of September 2025, these three hospitals had on hand twice as much cash and cash equivalents as they had in 2017, even adjusting for inflation, holding onto over $1.6 billion dollars, showing that the safe staffing ratios nurses won years ago allowed them to continue to rake in profits,” the union said.
4. The hospitals have emphasized that patient care remains their top priority. In a Jan. 12 letter to staff shared with Becker’s, Montefiore Einstein President and CEO Philip Ozuah, MD, PhD, said the system will not turn its back on the community or abandon patients.
“Our Montefiore Einstein colleagues have rallied as a team to ensure the continued provision of the highest quality of care for all who seek us out at their most vulnerable,” Dr. Ozuah said. “We have not canceled even one patient’s access to care.”
Twenty percent of Mount Sinai’s scheduled nurses reported to work Jan. 12, with similar numbers on Jan. 13, Dr. Carr said. 5. Union members also went on strike three years ago, with about 7,000 nurses at two hospitals walking off the job in January 2023 for three days.
The union represents 42,000 members across New York and is affiliated with National Nurses United, which has more than 225,000 members nationwide.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:39 a.m. Central time on Jan. 15.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.