Victory: Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Reach Tentative Agreement to End Strike After 6 Weeks of Historic Nurse Strike
For Immediate Release: Feb. 20, 2026
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Anne Songcayauon| press@nysna.org | 917-226-8570
VICTORY: NURSES AT NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT TO END STRIKE AFTER 6 WEEKS OF HISTORIC NURSE STRIKE
Approximately 4,200 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian system will vote to ratify a contract that protects patient and nurse safety
After six weeks of historic strike, nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian will return to work next week
New York, NY—On Thursday, Feb. 19, approximately 4,200 NYSNA members at NewYork-Presbyterian reached a tentative agreement after nearly a month and half of historic nurse strike. Members will vote on whether to ratify the contracts this weekend and return to work next week.
Nurses fought for and won a tentative agreement that:
- Improves enforceable safe staffing standards and increases the number of nurses to improve patient care.
- Protects their health benefits that hospitals threatened to drastically cut.
- Protects nurses from workplace violence.
- Protects immigrant patients and nurses.
- Safeguards against artificial intelligence in their contracts for the first time.
- Increases salaries by more than 12% over the life of the 3-year contract to recruit and retain nurses for safe patient care.
- Beat back aggressive take aways on healthcare and safe staffing enforcement.
- Returns all nurses to work after ratification.
More details on the tentative agreement will follow ratification.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “For a month and a half, through some of the harshest weather this city has seen in years, nurses at NYP showed this city that they won’t make any compromises to patient care. They stood in the cold, snow, ice and wind, along with their union siblings, fighting back management’s attempts to cut corners on care and secured contracts that improve enforceable safe staffing ratios, improve protections from workplace violence, and maintain health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs for frontline nurses. The wins of our private sector nurses will improve care for patients, and their perseverance and endurance have shown people worldwide the power of NYSNA nurses.”
NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN, CNOR(e), said, “NYSNA nurses consistently showed they’re much stronger than hospitals executives imagine. NYP nurses were relentless in their fight for a contract that nurses and patients deserve, and they delivered. They secured more nurses to improve staffing, achieved the layoffs protections they needed, and ultimately showed one of the richest hospitals in the state that when nurses stick together, anything is possible.”
Beth Loudin, RN, and local leader at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said, “This has been a long, hard fight, but we are proud of what we achieved. With the strength of our nurses and the support of our community and allies, we showed the hospital that nurses will not compromise on our patients’ care. This is a win for the future of healthcare for our communities and a testament to the power of working people.”
Nurses began bargaining in September with nurses at Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West and went on the largest and longest nurse strike in New York City history on January 12. They picketed through some of the coldest temperatures in the city and demonstrated their incredible resolve to protect patient and nurse safety through fair contracts.
Nurses at Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West voted overwhelmingly to ratify their contracts on Feb. 9 – 11, and returned to work on Saturday, Feb. 14. Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian will vote to ratify their contracts beginning Friday, Feb. 20. If their contracts are ratified, they will return to work next week.
###
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.