NYSNA Nurses Deliver 10-Day Strike Notice at Twelve Private Sector Hospitals in New York City
For immediate release: Jan. 2, 2026
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NYSNA NURSES DELIVER 10-DAY STRIKE NOTICE AT TWELVE PRIVATE SECTOR HOSPITALS IN NEW YORK CITY
In What Would be the Biggest Nurse Strike in New York City History, 20,000 Nurses Could Go on Strike on Jan. 12, 2026, if Hospitals Do Not Agree to Contracts That Protect Patient Care with Safe Staffing and Guaranteed Healthcare Benefits for Frontline Caregivers
New York, N.Y. - On Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, NYSNA nurses at 12 private sector hospitals delivered 10-day strike notices. Delivered two days after contract expiration on Dec. 31, 2025, these notices give hospital management ten days to reach a fair contract that protects safe patient care and healthcare benefits for the nurses who care for New York. If agreements are not reached, as many as 20,000 nurses could go on strike on Jan. 12, 2026 in what could be the biggest nurse strike in New York City history.
Amidst the worst flu surge in recent history, hospital executives aren’t doing enough to settle fair contracts that protect vulnerable New York City patients.
Key sticking points in negotiations include management’s failure to guarantee 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. Management has continued to try to silence and threaten RNs 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 practices in response.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “Nurses are ready to settle fair contracts that protect New York City patients. But management seems determined to fight against frontline caregivers instead of working with us to protect our patients. Management is refusing to guarantee our healthcare benefits and trying to roll back the safe staffing standards we fought for and won. We have been bargaining for months, but hospitals have not done nearly enough to settle fair contracts that protect patient care. Striking is always a last resort; however, nurses will not stop until we win contracts that deliver patient and nurse safety. The future of care in this city is far too important to compromise on our values as nurses.”
The 10-day notices give hospitals time to plan care for patients while nurses are on strike. But the best way for management to protect patients is to listen to nurses and settle fair contracts that protect patient care in the next 10 days.
Amid federal attacks on healthcare, New York City nurses are demanding that hospitals do their part to protect patient care. That means agreeing to fair contracts that ensure there are always enough nurses at the bedside to provide safe patient care. While nurses have fought for patients, hospital administrators have fought against nurses, responding with avoidance, delays, takebacks, and retaliation. Management’s proposals would erode safe staffing and quality care in New York City. Crucially, employers have refused to guarantee healthcare benefits for nurses, seriously jeopardizing healthcare for the healthcare providers of New York City.
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/
Nearly 30 community-based organizations sent NYSNA nurses a letter of solidarity today. The groups called on hospitals to “commit to a fair contract” because agreeing to nurses’ demands presents a “pathway to protecting the health and safety of our communities.”
Nurses at the following 12 hospitals voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes on Dec. 22:
- BronxCare Health System
- The Brooklyn Hospital Center
- Flushing Hospital Medical Center
- Interfaith Medical Center / One Brooklyn Health
- Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center / One Brooklyn Health
- Maimonides Medical Center
- Montefiore Medical Center
- Mount Sinai Hospital
- Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West
- NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center
- Richmond University Medical Center
- Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
Three years ago, nurses at these hospitals also voted to authorize a strike and approximately 7,000 nurses at two private hospitals went on strike in January 2023. Nurses believe that striking is a last resort, and hope hospitals will make progress to settle a fair contract before Jan. 12, 2026.
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.
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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.