After almost a month on the picket lines, thousands of New York City nurses are close to ending their strike following a tentative agreement with two of the city’s largest hospital systems, while one hospital remains in deadlock. In late-night negotiations, approximately 10,500 nurses from Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West reached a preliminary deal that, if ratified, would include notable contract improvements, according to NBC New York.
The agreement includes a salary increase of more than 12% over the next three years, the implementation of enforceable safe staffing ratios, continued health benefits without additional out-of-pocket costs, and strengthened protections against workplace violence. Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian, who remain on strike, have not reached a similar agreement. Voting on ratification is expected to begin today, and if approved, nurses could return to work as early as Saturday, according to New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans, who told PIX11 that "Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai systems are heading back to the bedside with our heads held high."
NewYork-Presbyterian remains the exception, continuing negotiations with the nurses who are still on strike. A hospital spokesperson said a proposal put forward by mediators and accepted by NewYork-Presbyterian, which the hospital says aligns with the wage increases of other systems and addresses benefits and staffing, has not yet resulted in a resolution, as reported by PIX11. The strike has been noted as both the longest and most extensive in the city’s history, taking place amid cold weather as nurses maintained their demands for improved working conditions and compensation.
The main issues in the strike include wages, healthcare benefits, staffing, and safety protocols. Hospitals such as NewYork-Presbyterian have emphasized that federal healthcare funding cuts and rising operational costs make meeting the union's demands challenging. Tens of thousands of nurses have continued striking in cold weather to press their case, receiving public support from local politicians and national figures, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who spoke at a rally, NBC New York reported.
