YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Nearly 15,000 nurses at 3 major New York City hospitals went on strike
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Nurses say they are striking for higher pay, safe staffing, fully funded benefits and increased workplace safety protections
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PEOPLE has reached out to Montefiore, New York-Presbyterian, and Mount Sinai hospitals for comment
A historic strike is underway in New York City as nearly 15,000 nurses in Manhattan and the Bronx walked off the job on Monday, January 12th.
“A strike is always a last resort, but greedy hospital management at wealthy private hospitals have given front-line nurses no other option,” said New York State Nurses Association president Nancy Hagans in a video statement shared with PEOPLE.
The “main sticking points,” Hagans said, were “safe staffing for our patients, protection from workplace violence, and health care for front-line nurses.” The union is also asking for a higher wage, per The New York Times.
The union’s demands come amid an increase in nurses reporting experiencing or witnessing violence while on the job. According to a 2023 survey by National Nurses United, more than 80% of nurses have experienced violence in the last year, both from patients and from their family members.
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Nurses on the picket line in New York City on January 12, 2026.
Three major health care systems are affected by the strike: Montefiore, New York-Presbyterian, and Mount Sinai. Mayor Zohran Mamdani was on the side of the nurses at the start of the strike at New York-Presbyterian, wearing a red scarf emblazoned with the NYSNA logo.
“In each of the darkest periods of our city, nurses showed up for work. Their value is non-negotiable,” said Mamdani in a video of his appearance, shared with the NYSNA Facebook page. “We know that during September 11 it was the nurses who took care of the wounded. We know that during the global pandemic it was the nurses who went to work even to the detriment of their health. They showed up even when we didn’t have protective equipment for them… They are here for us.”
However, hospital group representatives say the issues in question go beyond healthcare and workplace violence. In a statement to PEOPLE, Joe Solmonese, Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications at Montefiore, says, “NYSNA leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including wage increases of nearly 40%, and their disturbing proposals such as calling for a nurse not to be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs and our commitment to care, regardless of how much the strike lasts.”
A representative for New York-Presbyterian told PEOPLE, “While NYSNA has told nurses to walk away from the bedside, we remain focused on our patients and their care. This strike is designed to create disruption, but we have taken the necessary steps so that our patients can continue to receive the care they trust us to provide. Our patients should visit nyp.org/nursing’redate additional information for other important information. a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s health care environment We have proposed significant pay increases that keep our nurses among the highest paid in the city, improvements to their outstanding employer-funded benefits and new measures that reflect our shared commitment to workplace safety.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks on behalf of the nurses during the first day of their strike on January 12, 2026.
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A representative for Mount Sinai told PEOPLE, “Unfortunately, NYSNA has decided to move forward with its strike while refusing to move forward with its extreme economic demands, which we cannot agree to. We are ready with 1,400 qualified and specialized nurses – and we are ready to continue providing safe patient care for the duration of this strike.”
The statement continued: “Our patients are our highest priority and we are well prepared to continue providing excellent care to our communities for as long as a strike may last. We have secured over 1,000 qualified and specialist agency nurses to join our care teams, many of whom have already been integrated into units across our hospitals. It has been tremendous coordination across our network to manage discharges and ensure to be prepared for the start of the strike and able to increase our capacity if a potential strike drags on. While we know that a strike can be disruptive, we are prepared for a strike that can last indefinitely and we have taken every step to best support our patients and employees during this strike.
Addressing the crowd, Mamdani called the three hospital groups “the wealthiest in the entire city,” and said “there is no shortage of wealth in the health care industry, especially in the three privately operated hospital groups where the nurses are striking.”
He continued: “The hospital executives who run these hospitals, those where these hard-working nurses are asking for what they deserve, these executives are not having difficulty keeping up.”
The Mayor pointed out the multi-million dollar salaries of the CEOs of the health groups and also said, “New York City will do everything in its power to ensure that the sick and injured can continue to receive high quality care, and we will do this while refusing to abandon those who have time and again refused to abandon us.”
Mamdani said that all parties need to return to negotiations and “negotiate in good faith”, and appealed to them to reach an agreement “that allows the nurses who work in this city to live in this city.”
Read the original article on People