NYSNA Update: February 6, 2026
Nurses Show Incredible Resolve, Hold the Line After Nearly 1 Month on Strike
It’s safe to say that on Day 1 of this strike, nurses did not expect to be on strike for nearly one month. Despite management continually trying to undermine our power, forcing nurses out in the cold, spending millions on temporary travel nurses and union-busting, nurses have not wavered, making huge sacrifices on multiple fronts because they refuse to compromise patient safety and their professional responsibility to the communities they serve. In the blistering cold, they have kept the energy and momentum up, planning rolling actions across the city to bring attention to the fight for patients before profits. They reached tentative agreements on a number of key issues, including artificial intelligence, workplace violence protections, and more.
Over the past week, nurses marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, took nonviolent direct action in front of the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes, and spoke out with elected officials and allies. At Mount Sinai hospital they were joined by NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, BSN, RN, CCRN, City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, L. Joy Williams, president, NAACP NY State Conference, and Anthony Harmon, special assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer, New York State AFL-CIO. At New-York Presbyterian, members of the New York City Council Progressive Caucus, Carmen De La Rosa, Althea Stevens, Tiffany Cabán, Sandy Nurse, Alexa Avilés, Kayla Santosuosso, Christopher Marte, Rita Joseph and Justin Sanchez, joined nurses on the picket line. And at Montefiore-Weiler, nurses spoke out alongside Sen. Gustavo Rivera, Assembly Member George Alvarez, New York City Council Labor Chair Shirley Aldebol, NYC District Council of Carpenters, Westchester County Legislator Jenn Puja, Massachusetts Nurses Association and NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, BSN, RN, CCRN.
“We really appreciate the solidarity from New York’s progressive caucus. They’re a great reminder that New York City’s elected officials keep this city a union town. All of the labor solidarity we have received over the past month shows that this strike is not just about nurses, it’s about all working people,” said NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN, CNOR(e).
Together, they showed that this fight is not just about nurses; it’s about the future of New York healthcare and the broader fight for social and economic justice.
The media has been following the strike closely. Some of the highlights include The New York Times, City and State, American Prospect, Documented, AMNY, BronxTimes, ABC7, News12, and CBS.
The New York Times published our member Sheryl Ostroff’s opinion editorial. To see more photos, visit our Facebook page. Visit NYC Hospital Greed to learn more about the campaign. One day longer, one day stronger!
NYSNA Nurses at Safety Net Hospitals Ratify Contracts
Congratulations to nurses at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Interfaith Medical Center/One Brooklyn Health, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center/One Brooklyn Health, Maimonides Medical Center, Richmond University Medical Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, who all ratified their strong union contracts by an overwhelming majority this week. Nurses at these hospitals averted a strike in early January by reaching agreements with management that protected their health benefits; established safe staffing standards; and included provisions that addressed workplace violence, artificial intelligence, immigration and more. While the richest hospitals, like NewYork-Presbyterian say they can’t afford to invest in safe patient care, these safety-net hospitals showed that it’s not a question of money, it’s a question of will, and chose to put their patients before profits. NYSNA nurses set an important precedent for agreements with other private sector hospitals and showed that when we fight, we win!
Nurses at the Brooklyn Hospital Center Speak Out to Demand Their Healthcare Coverage
While nurses at the Brooklyn Hospital Center had planned to ratify their contract this week, they put their plans on hold after losing their health benefits last weekend, because hospital management failed to pay their health benefits for three months despite committing to earlier this year. On Monday, Feb. 2, NYSNA nurses took action and spoke out alongside elected officials, including Sen. Jabari Brisport, Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest, and City Council Members Mercedes Narcisse and Lincoln Restler. They demanded that the hospital begin paying for nurses’ healthcare so that nurses can keep themselves and their families healthy and safe! Crain’s, Amsterdam News, News 12, and NY1 covered the speak-out.