NYC Nurses Plan Strike Over Pay, Staffing, And Safety

By Staff, Agencies

Nearly 16,000 nurses in New York City are preparing to go on strike on Monday as contract negotiations with several major hospital systems stall over pay, staffing levels, and healthcare benefits, according to the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).

The planned strike is set to affect five large hospitals across the city and follows 10-day strike notices issued on January 2.

NYSNA says the action is aimed at pressuring hospital management to prioritize patient care over profits amid growing concerns over safe staffing ratios, workplace safety, and benefit protections.

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said hospital administrators are seeking concessions that would undermine patient safety, including scaling back staffing guarantees and refusing to ensure healthcare coverage for nurses.

Hagans, who has worked at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn for more than three decades, also highlighted a rise in assaults against healthcare workers since the Covid-19 pandemic and cited an active shooter incident at Mount Sinai last November as evidence of unresolved safety issues.

The union claims that chief executive compensation at Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and New York Presbyterian is nearly 12,000 times higher than the average nurse’s salary, while three of the hospitals involved reportedly hold a combined $1.6 billion in cash or cash equivalents.

NYSNA says the hospitals have already begun hiring travel nurses in preparation for the strike.