Four NYC Safety-Net Hospitals Reach Tentative Agreements on a New Contract to Protect Patient and Nurse Safety
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
Four NYC Safety-Net Hospitals Reach Tentative Agreements on a New Contract to Protect Patient and Nurse Safety
45 labor unions, representing over 2.5 million workers, sign solidarity letter calling on remaining hospitals to settle fair contracts with nearly 16,000 NYSNA nurses as Jan. 12 strike deadline looms
New York, NY—The New York State Nurses Association congratulates NYSNA nurses at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health Interfaith Medical Center and One Brooklyn Health Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, who reached tentative agreements on a fair contract late last night with the help of a mediator. Nurses at these four safety-net hospitals are the first to reach tentative contract agreements among the 12 NYC private sector hospitals where they are currently bargaining. NYSNA members at these hospitals will now vote on whether to ratify the new contracts.
Nurses at three additional safety-net hospitals, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Richmond University Medical Center, and The Brooklyn Hospital Center, also rescinded their strike notices earlier this week after management agreed to fully fund healthcare benefits for nurses, maintain pension benefits with no cuts, and improve safe staffing.
Negotiations at other NYC private sector hospitals, including BronxCare, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian continue this week. Unless tentative contract agreements are reached, nearly 16,000 nurses will strike on Jan. 12, in the largest nurse strike in New York City history.
On the same day that nurses announced tentative agreements at four safety-net hospitals, 45 labor unions, representing more than 2.5 million workers, released a letter calling on the remaining hospitals to settle fair contracts ahead of the Jan. 12 strike deadline.
“Unions are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with nurses on the picket lines if a strike becomes necessary,” reads the letter. “It’s time for hospital administrators to listen to your nurses and commit to fair contracts for our communities and working people without further delay.”
Highlights of the agreements reached at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health Interfaith Medical Center and One Brooklyn Health Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center include:
- Improve safe staffing ratios and enforcement to protect patient care.
- Maintain and pay for good health benefits for nurses.
- Protect nurses from workplace violence.
- Continuing pension plans with no cuts.
- Model AI language to ensure that patients always have a real nurse at the beside.
- Guaranteed wage increases equitable with what nurses at the wealthy academic hospitals win
NYSNA President and Maimonides nurse Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “Our safety-net hospitals are leading the way in settling fair union contracts that protect New York City patients and nurses. If the poorest hospitals in our city can do the right thing, so can rich hospitals like Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian. Instead, these wealthy hospitals seem determined to force frontline nurses out on strike. We still have four days to avert a strike in New York City, and we hope that management will come to their senses and put patients before profits.”
Nurses have been at the bargaining table for months. Key sticking points in negotiations include management’s threats to cut healthcare benefits for the frontline nurses who care for New York City, management’s attempt to roll back safe staffing standards that nurses won when they went on strike at two major hospitals three years ago, and management’s refusal to agree to protections from workplace violence, despite a recent active shooter incident at Mount Sinai Hospital.
“Nurses have bargained in good faith for months, and progress at some hospitals shows that fair agreements are possible when management takes patient care seriously,” said New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Brendan Griffith. “But at some of our city’s wealthiest hospitals, executives are still dragging their feet while nurses raise urgent concerns about staffing, workplace safety, and retaliation. These delays put patients, nurses, and our communities at risk. Now nearly 50 unions are standing together to say clearly that hospital administrators must stop stalling, stop punishing nurses for speaking up, and commit to contracts that ensure safe staffing, protect healthcare benefits, and respect workers’ rights. The New York City Labor Movement stands shoulder to shoulder with NYSNA nurses and will continue to support them as they fight for a healthcare system that puts patients and working people first.”
“Union members across New York, from the public and private sectors to the building trades, stand united in our support of the nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), who have been forced into the difficult position of preparing for a potential strike,” said New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento. “Hospitals must treat these nurses with the fairness, dignity, and respect they deserve, and engage in good-faith negotiations without delay so nurses can continue providing the high-quality care their communities rely on. Throughout this contract fight, NYSNA nurses will continue to have the full support and resources of the 2.5 million membersof the New York State AFL-CIO.”
Management has continued to try to silence and threaten frontline nurses who have spoken out on workplace safety, questioned and threatened RNs regarding their union activities, interfered with RNs’ rights to speak to co-workers, and hired travelers to threaten and replace RNs. NYSNA has filed unfair labor practice charges in response.
Amidst the worst flu surge in recent history, hospital executives at New York City’s wealthiest private hospitals aren’t doing nearly enough to settle fair contracts that protect vulnerable New York City patients. They continue to push for cuts to healthcare and safe staffing and refuse to agree to workplace violence protections.
While NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore and Mount Sinai – three of New York City’s wealthiest private hospitals – are claiming they can't afford to settle a fair union contract that keeps nurses and patients safe, they likely have plenty of cash on hand to use to fight their own workers. Did these wealthy hospitals hold onto all that money just so they could force nurses out on strike? As of September 2025, these three hospitals had on hand TWICE as much cash and cash equivalents than they had at a similar pre-pandemic point in 2017, even adjusting for inflation – holding onto over $1.6 billion dollars. Now, they're gearing up to collectively spend almost $100 million per week on temporary traveler nurses, who don't know New York City patients or communities. These are nurses typically from out of state who travel the country breaking strikes; management hires and pays them to cross the picket line during a strike rather than bargain in good faith with frontline nurses whose key demands are safe staffing, workplace safety, and healthcare benefits for caregivers.
NYSNA launched a new advertising campaign and website this fall that calls out hospital greed. Visit nychospitalgreed.com to learn more. Previously, nurses launched a website for New Yorkers to learn more about how to support NYSNA members: https://www.nursescareforny.org
Hundreds of elected officials and community-based organizations previously sent NYSNA nurses letters of solidarity and urged hospital executives to settle fair contracts to protect the health and safety of New York’s communities.
More than a thousand NYSNA Northwell Health nurses on Long Island are also bargaining for fair contracts that protect patient care. Nurses at Northwell/Huntington, Northwell/Plainview and Northwell/Syosset overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike and are ready to call a strike if management does not agree to a fair contract. Long Island and New York City nurses are united and willing to do whatever is necessary to protect their patients and their communities.
Striking is always a last resort, but nurses say they are prepared to strike if hospital administration gives them no other option.
###
The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.