Up to 20k NYC nurses could go on strike in 10 days

Up to 20k NYC nurses could go on strike in 10 days

Nurses with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) at several hospitals have delivered their 10-day notices to strike. FOX 5 NY's Hayley Fixler has more.

NEW YORK - Nurses with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) at several hospitals have delivered their 10-day notices to strike.

Nursing strike

What we know:

NYSNA nurses at 12 New York City private sector hospitals and 3 Long Island Northwell Health hospitals could go on strike as soon as Jan. 12.

These 10-day notices provide hospital management with the aforementioned time to "reach a fair contract that protects safe patient care and healthcare benefits for the nurses who care for New York."

The previous contract expired two days ago, on Dec. 31, 2025.

If an agreement is not reached by Jan. 12, as many as 20,000 nurses could go on strike, potentially leading to the biggest nursing strike in New York City's history.

The other side:

Officials from several different medical centers provided statements regarding the potential strike.

Montefiore Medical Center provided this statement:

"NYSNA’s leadership presented Montefiore Medical Center with demands that would cost $3.6 billion over the life of the proposed new contract, a 50% increase from their current agreement. Additionally, NYSNA leadership’s demands will clearly impact patient safety, like nurses not being terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job, and taking issue with our reasonable effort to roll out panic buttons for frontline staff in the Emergency Department. While Montefiore will continue to bargain in good faith, we are preparing for what we anticipate could be a multi-week strike."

Mount Sinai officials provided a statement, saying, "Just three years after its last strike, the union is showing, once again, it is willing to use patients as bargaining chips."

Northwell Health leaders said they are, "… disappointed by The New York State Nurses Association’s (NYSNA) decision to issue a strike notice, but we remain committed to negotiating a fair and sustainable contract that supports our nurses and maintains the high-quality of care our community deserves."

Local perspective:

Several community-based organizations sent NYSNA nurses a letter of solidarity earlier today, Jan. 2.