NYC nurses strike enters day 3 with no deal in sight
Fired nurses share reported Mount Sinai voicemail
FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso joined Dan Bowens on Newsroom Live to discuss the latest with the nurses' strike in New York City.
NEW YORK - Thousands of nurses across New York City are back on the picket lines Wednesday as the largest nurses strike in city history enters its third day, with no deal in sight and tensions escalating between union leaders and hospital management.
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What we know:
The New York State Nurses Association says about 15,000 nurses walked off the job Monday at hospitals within the Mount Sinai, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian systems. The last major nurses strike in the city, three years ago, lasted three days.
It remains unclear how long this one will continue.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 12: Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medica
Outside Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem, nurses began setting up picket lines early Wednesday morning.
The union accuses hospital officials of intimidation and union busting, while hospital leaders deny the claims.
Fired nurses speak out
What they're saying:
At the center of the dispute is Mount Sinai’s decision to fire three labor and delivery nurses just hours before the strike began. The union says the terminations were meant to intimidate workers ahead of the walkout. Mount Sinai disputes that characterization, saying the nurses were fired for interfering with patient safety.
In a statement, Mount Sinai said it terminated the nurses for "deliberately sabotaging emergency preparedness drills ahead of the strike," including hiding medical supplies from agency nurses who were training to cover patient care during the walkout. The hospital says security footage supports its claims.
The nurses deny the allegations, saying they were unjustly fired and unfairly targeted.
"We are tired of being surveilled. We are tired of the union busting," one nurse said at the picket line. "It’s time for Mount Sinai to deliver a fair contract."
What about Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian?
The strike also affects Montefiore Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The union says nurses are demanding better pay, safer staffing levels, fully funded health benefits and stronger protections from workplace violence.
Hospital leaders say those demands are unrealistic. NewYork-Presbyterian said it remains willing to negotiate but claims the union’s latest proposal would amount to roughly $2 billion in wage increases over three years.
What about the patients?
Why you should care:
Mount Sinai says it has brought in about 1,400 temporary nurses to maintain operations. All three hospital systems say their hospitals and emergency departments remain open and that patient care has not been disrupted.
State health officials are monitoring the situation, and city emergency management officials say they are prepared to move patients if needed.
As negotiations remain stalled, nurses are expected to continue demonstrating throughout the day as the strike moves into its third day.
The Source: This report is based on information from NYSNA, Mount Sinai, Montefiore, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospitals and FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso.