Historic NYC Nurses Strike 2026: 15,000 Walk Out at 3 Major Hospitals
New York City faces its largest nurses' strike in history as 15,000 NYSNA members walk out at Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian over safety and staffing.
NEW YORK – Health & Labor Desk In a move that has sent shockwaves through the American healthcare system, approximately 15,000 nurses in New York City officially commenced a massive strike today, Monday, January 12, 2026. The walkout, organized by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), is the largest of its kind in the city's history.
Affected Hospitals
The strike is currently centered at three of the city’s most critical medical institutions and their satellite campuses:
- The Mount Sinai Hospital (and its satellite branches)
- Montefiore Medical Center (Bronx)
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NewYork-Presbyterian
The Core Demands: Safety and Staffing
Despite marathon negotiations over the weekend, union leaders and hospital administrations failed to reach an agreement. The nurses’ primary grievances include:
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Unmanageable Workloads: Nurses report being assigned an "impossible" number of patients, compromising care quality.
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Workplace Safety: Recent violent incidents, including a fatal standoff involving a weapon at a Brooklyn hospital last week, have fueled demands for tighter security.
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AI Regulation: The union is seeking specific limitations on how hospitals implement Artificial Intelligence in clinical settings.
- Staffing Guarantees: While hospitals claim they have reduced vacancy rates, nurses argue that "hallway patients" remain a reality in overcrowded emergency rooms.
Impact During a Severe Flu Season
The timing of the strike is critical, as New York is currently battling one of its worst flu seasons on record. To maintain operations, the affected hospitals have begun:
- Hiring thousands of temporary "traveler" nurses.
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Diverting ambulances to non-striking facilities.
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Postponing non-emergency surgeries and procedures.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed support for the workforce, stating, "Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable."
However, hospital executives maintain that the union's financial and staffing demands are "too costly" to implement immediately.
A Recurring Crisis
This 2026 strike follows a similar, albeit shorter, three-day walkout in 2023. While that dispute resulted in a 19% pay raise, the union claims hospitals have since retreated from the staffing guarantees promised three years ago.