by Jeroslyn JoVonn
January 13, 2026
Hundreds of nurses in New York Metropolis have entered day two of the biggest nurse strike within the metropolis’s historical past.
Practically 15,000 nurses throughout New York Metropolis have hit the streets, marking the biggest nurse strike within the metropolis’s historical past over stalled contract negotiations.
The strike started on Jan. 12 and carried into the next day, affecting main New York Metropolis hospitals, together with Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian, ABC 7 NY studies. With the New York State Nurses Affiliation contract having expired on Dec. 31, the union is demanding larger pay, elevated staffing, absolutely funded advantages, and stronger office protections towards violence.
By 6 a.m. on Jan. 12, nurses flooded the streets in purple hats and purple gloves, banging drums and blowing whistles in a peaceable protest. They acquired backing from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who joined the strike and praised their struggle as one for dignity, equity, and the way forward for New York Metropolis’s healthcare system.
“There isn’t a scarcity of wealth within the healthcare trade,” Mamdani mentioned. “The CEO of Montefiore made greater than $16 million final 12 months. The CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian made $26 million. However too many nurses can’t make ends meet.”
The mayor acknowledged the town is concentrated on safeguarding each sufferers and healthcare staff in the course of the strike and urged hospital leaders and union representatives to renew negotiations instantly. Mount Sinai, nonetheless, blamed the strike on what it known as the union’s “excessive financial calls for.”
“Sadly, NYSNA determined to maneuver ahead with its strike whereas refusing to maneuver on from its excessive financial calls for, which we can’t conform to, however we’re prepared with 1,400 certified and specialised nurses — and ready to proceed to supply secure affected person care for so long as this strike lasts,” Mount Sinai mentioned in an announcement.
The impacted hospitals have introduced in giant numbers of non permanent nurses to cowl staffing shortages. Each union members and hospital directors have inspired sufferers to proceed searching for care in the course of the strike. The non-public, nonprofit hospitals say they’ve improved staffing lately and describe the union’s calls for as financially unsustainable.
This strike comes three years after a earlier walkout that compelled hospitals to switch sufferers and reroute ambulances. A Mount Sinai spokesperson mentioned that on the primary day of the present strike, 20% of nurses crossed the picket line, they usually anticipate extra workers to return within the coming days.
RELATED CONTENT: Nurse Colleges Misguided And Misinformed White Coworker That ‘DEI Is Not A Synonym For Black’
