New York City: On January 12 nearly 15,000 registered nurses walked off the job across New York City, triggering one of the largest healthcare strikes the city has ever seen. The sudden action disrupted services at some of the city’s biggest private hospital systems and left thousands of patients facing delays and uncertainty. Nurses say they had no choice after months of stalled negotiations over staffing, safety and benefits.
The strike affected major hospitals including New York Presbyterian, Mount Sinai and Montefiore. Early Monday morning, nurses formed long picket lines outside hospital entrances, holding signs that read “Don't Mess With Our Benefits” and “Patients Need Safe Staffing.”
The Associated Press reported that the affected hospitals are still running.
Union leaders from the New York State Nurses Association said hospitals refused to agree to limits on how many patients each nurse could be assigned. Many nurses say they are stretched so thin that patient care has become unsafe. They also want stronger protections against workplace violence, which has increased sharply in hospitals since the pandemic.
Nurses also raised concerns about healthcare coverage, pensions and long term job security. They say hospital management has tried to cut benefits while executive pay continues to rise.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said in a press release, “Hospital management refuses to address our most important issues, patient and nurse safety. It is shameful that the city’s richest hospitals refuse to continue healthcare benefits for frontline nurses, refuse to staff safely for our patients, and refuse to protect us from workplace violence.”
To keep hospitals running, administrators brought in thousands of temporary and traveling nurses. While emergency rooms remain open, many non urgent procedures and appointments have been postponed.
Newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined nurses on the picket lines and voiced strong support for their demands. He called nurses the backbone of the healthcare system and said they deserve respect, fair treatment and safe working conditions.
The strike is one of Mamdani’s first major tests as mayor, as he balances public health concerns with worker rights.
Governor Kathy Hochul also stepped in by declaring a state of emergency. This allows New York to bring in healthcare workers from outside the state to prevent a full collapse of hospital services.
The strike comes during a tough flu season, which has already pushed hospitals close to capacity. With fewer nurses on duty, wait times are growing and some treatments have been delayed. For patients and their families, the situation has created anxiety and frustration.
(Rh/ARC)