NYSNA Update: January 23, 2026
One Day Longer, One Day Stronger, Nurses Close Out the Second Week of the Largest Nurse Strike in City History
The last week has proven striking NYSNA nurses’ resilience. They braved the cold to show hospitals that they won’t back down and to connect with the communities that have shown them so much support. Over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, NYSNA members did a series of nonviolent actions at the homes of CEOs to demand that management settle fair contracts. They celebrated their communities by holding family days at each hospital and by hosting a speak-out with Rev. Al Sharpton. On Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Mamdani joined nurses – for Mamdani, this was his second visit to the strike line. Together, they encouraged nurses and lifted our spirits on the coldest day of the strike thus far. On Wednesday and Thursday, more community allies joined NYSNA members, showing hospitals that our fight is much larger than us. On Wednesday, nurses, patients, and families held a vigil, and patients’ family members spoke about the importance of NYSNA nurses to quality care in their hospitals. On Thursday, terminated labor and delivery nurses met with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine. This was the same day that hospitals and management resumed talks over the negotiating table, following the urging of our Mayor and Governor Hochul. NYSNA nurses are ready to settle fair contracts that respect nurses and patients and are willing to do whatever it takes to get the contracts they deserve.
Media across all platforms have been following the strike. Some of the highlights include Forbes, CBS, The New York Times, The Guardian, Democracy Now, Politico, The Gothamist, ABC, The Associated Press, CNN, NY1, Telemundo, News12, PIX11, Crain’s, The City, AMNY, Bronx Times, 1010 Wins, Prism, Amsterdam News, and New York Daily News.
To see more photos, visit our Facebook page. Visit NYC Hospital Greed to learn more about the campaign.
Congratulations to Samaritan Nurses!
After months and months of bargaining, NYSNA nurses at Samaritan reached a tentative agreement! Highlights include 5% wage increases in year one (with retro pay), protected pensions, new workplace violence language, increased differentials, safeguards on artificial intelligence, improvements in grievance procedures, and more! Samaritan nurses showed that when we fight, we win!
Support Nurses on Strike!
To secure the contract that nurses and patients in New York City deserve, we need all our union members to support and take action. As covered above, on Monday, Jan. 12, nearly 15,000 nurses walked out in a historic action. Management has taken all week to return to the bargaining table, but nurses will continue to fight! We need all the support we can get from NYSNA nurses and the broader community. To see ways you can support our NYSNA nurses, click here. Take a moment to send a message to greedy healthcare CEOs; donate to the NYSNA Protected Action Hardship Relief Fund; and, most importantly, join us on the picket line!