NYC’s Historic Nursing Strike Nears End with Tentative Hospital Agreement

More than 4,000 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian have reached a preliminary contract deal, potentially ending New York City's largest nursing strike in decades. The agreement comes after over a month of picketing in frigid conditions, with nurses demanding better staffing levels and enhanced job security.

NEW YORK — A historic nursing walkout that has gripped New York City for more than a month appears ready to conclude after over 4,000 healthcare workers at NewYork-Presbyterian secured a preliminary contract agreement with hospital leadership in the early hours of Friday morning.

Union representatives and hospital administrators finalized the provisional accord, marking the end of negotiations at the final major medical center affected by the extended work stoppage, according to the New York State Nurses Association. Specific terms of the agreement were not made public.

The preliminary contract must now receive approval from union membership through a ratification vote. Should nurses approve the deal, they could resume their duties as soon as the coming week.

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative settlement with NYSNA, through the mediator, that reflects our tremendous respect for our nurses — the settlement is still subject to ratification,” stated Angela Karafazli, a spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian.

The approximately 4,200 healthcare workers at NewYork-Presbyterian represented the final group continuing their protest amid brutally cold winter conditions in what union officials characterized as the city’s most extensive and prolonged nursing work stoppage on record.

NYSNA president Nancy Hagans emphasized the significance of their persistence, saying, “For a month and a half, through some of the harshest weather this city has seen in years, nurses at NYP showed this city that they won’t make any compromises to patient care. The wins of our private sector nurses will improve care for patients, and their perseverance and endurance have shown people worldwide the power of NYSNA nurses.”

Earlier this month, approximately 10,500 healthcare workers at Mount Sinai and Montefiore medical facilities approved new three-year employment agreements on February 11th. Union officials reported that these contracts at Montefiore and Mount Sinai featured salary increases exceeding 12% across the three-year period.

The approved agreements also preserved existing healthcare benefits without additional employee expenses and established new workplace violence protections, with special focus on transgender and immigrant staff and patients. The contracts additionally created safeguards regarding artificial intelligence implementation in medical settings.

Healthcare workers at NewYork-Presbyterian declined to accept the terms offered in the February 11th agreements.

The work stoppage commenced on January 12th, affecting three of the city’s most prominent and respected private healthcare networks.

Medical facilities brought in numerous temporary nursing staff to address personnel shortages during an intense influenza season, creating anxiety among some of the hospital system’s most at-risk patients and their families.

Throughout the challenging and sometimes heated negotiations, hospital leadership argued that union demands were excessive and unrealistic. Healthcare workers responded that senior hospital executives earn millions annually while burdening nursing staff with overwhelming patient loads.

Earlier this month, an arbitrator granted nearly $400,000 in compensation to certain nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital for working under understaffed conditions during 2023 and 2024, union representatives announced, citing the ruling as validation of the issues that sparked the strike. NewYork-Presbyterian maintained that “safe staffing is always a priority” and noted the hiring of hundreds of nurses over the past three years.

The work stoppage did not impact all facilities within the NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai and Montefiore networks, and nursing staff at city-operated hospitals remained on duty. Additional private medical centers also secured last-minute agreements with union representatives.