Around 21,000 nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) issued 10-day strike notices on Friday, setting a Jan. 12 deadline for new labor agreements to be reached at 15 hospitals across New York. The notices were delivered after the nurses’ previous contracts expired on Dec. 31.
The potential strike action follows authorization votes held on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, when nearly all affected nurses approved the possibility of walkouts if negotiations failed to produce agreements. Of the 15 hospitals named in the notices, 12 are located in New York City and are operated by several private health systems, including Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian, Maimonides Medical Center, and the Montefiore System. NYSNA stated that if approximately 20,000 nurses at these city facilities were to strike, it would be the largest nurse strike in New York City’s history.
The remaining three hospitals are located on Long Island and are run by Northwell Health. About 1,000 nurses at those facilities, also represented by NYSNA, submitted notices indicating they could begin striking on Jan. 12 if contracts are not finalized by that date.
In its announcements, the union said contract talks with hospital management have been ongoing for months without resolution. NYSNA identified healthcare benefits, workplace violence protections, and staffing levels as key issues that remain unresolved. Regarding staffing, the union said agreements secured at two hospitals during a strike three years ago are now at risk of being rolled back as part of the current negotiations.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said the union believes negotiations have not resulted in sufficient progress to address these concerns. “We have been bargaining for months, but hospitals have not done nearly enough to settle fair contracts that protect patient care,” Hagans said in a statement.
The union also highlighted broader conditions surrounding the negotiations. Its announcements referenced a letter of solidarity from more than two dozen community-based organizations. NYSNA additionally cited rising influenza cases and pointed to a recent active shooter incident at Mount Sinai Hospital. The union further noted financial disclosures from NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore, and Mount Sinai, stating the systems collectively reported more than $1.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of September.
NYSNA also alleged that Northwell Health had unilaterally altered nurses’ access to union representatives and introduced an employee handbook that it said could threaten discipline related to union activity. The union has launched multiple websites comparing hospital systems’ financial and strategic actions with their stated positions during bargaining.
Hospital groups and systems responded critically to the strike notices. Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), described the planned strike as irresponsible and said that even receiving notice requires hospitals to spend millions to tens of millions of dollars to secure outside contingency nurses. He said this spending comes as hospitals prepare for widespread federal funding cuts, estimated to bring $8 billion in reduced hospital funding and 34,000 hospital job losses over the next several years.
Mount Sinai said in a notice on its website that there are currently no operational impacts or patient scheduling changes resulting from the strike notice. The system said the notice followed only a day of mediation at one of its hospitals and cited anticipated federal funding reductions.
Northwell Health said it was disappointed by the notice but intends to continue negotiations, adding that its hospitals would remain fully operational if a strike occurs. Montefiore said the union’s proposals would add $3.6 billion, or 50%, in costs over the life of a new contract and stated it is preparing for what it anticipates could be a multi-week strike while continuing to bargain in good faith.
NYSNA Cites Staffing and Patient Safety Concerns
Under the proposed action, NYSNA emphasizes that its primary goal is not to disrupt care, but to ensure long-term improvements for both nurses and patients. NYSNA representatives claim hospitals have failed to adequately invest in frontline nursing staff, despite rising healthcare demands across New York.
