The largest nurses strike in New York City’s history — involving nearly 15,000 nurses at Montefiore Health System, Mount Sinai Health System and NewYork-Presbyterian — entered its ninth day Jan. 20.
Nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association have held one bargaining session with each of the four hospitals — Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside/Mount Sinai West, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center — since the strike began, according to a Jan. 20 union news release.
Most recently, nurses met Jan. 18 with Montefiore and a mediator, discussing workplace violence and artificial intelligence. No major progress has been made toward settling contracts with any of the hospitals, the union said.
“Until they can back away from their reckless and dangerous $3.6 billion demands, progress overall will not be possible,” a Montefiore spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker’s on Jan. 20. “In the meantime, we continue to provide the world-class care our communities deserve.”
Nurses met Jan. 16 with mediators and management at Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside/West, according to a Jan. 16 news release from the union.
Nurses met with NewYork-Presbyterian on Jan. 15 for their first negotiation session since the strike began Jan. 12. The system is now working through a mediator to schedule its next bargaining session, a NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson said in a Jan. 16 statement shared with Becker’s.
“We need hospital management to understand that we are out here fighting for the safety of our patients and nurses, so that every patient can have a qualified nurse at their bedside,” union President Nancy Hagans, BSN, RN, said in the release. “Hospital management must take action to maintain our health benefits, guarantee enforceable safe staffing, and make hospitals safer workplaces.”
A “near-term path to an agreement” is very unlikely, Mount Sinai CEO Brendan Carr, MD, said in a Jan. 19 update. Little progress was made during negotiations, and no additional meetings have been scheduled. The system has made additional commitments to working with its agency nurses, he said.
“Because of our existing staffing commitments, even when we reach a deal, our striking nurses’ return will likely be delayed by several days or weeks depending on patient volume and specialty,” Dr. Carr said. “These are difficult truths, but decisions that have been made in the interest of ensuring the health system’s operational and financial health.”
“Very little progress” was made during the Jan. 15 session with NewYork-Presbyterian, the union said. Hospital leaders rejected nurses’ revised set of proposals without offering a counterproposal, according to the union.
The two groups met for several hours, with discussions focused on staffing, a NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson said in a Jan. 15 statement shared with Becker’s.
“The union’s proposals remain unreasonable. While we continue to be far apart, we are committed to bargaining in good faith. Future meetings will be scheduled through the mediator,” the spokesperson said. “We are committed to safe staffing and have the best staffing ratios in the city.”
All the affected hospitals and emergency departments remain open and are running smoothly, the spokesperson added.
The union has been in negotiations with the systems for months on new contracts covering safe staffing, healthcare benefits and workplace violence protections. Previous contracts expired Dec. 31.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:41 a.m. Central time on Jan. 20.
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.
