Nurses make their demands clear on the picket line outside Mount Sinai on Jan. 12, 2026.
Photo by Dean Moses
Nearly 15,000 nurses in NYC are officially on strike after walking off the job due to failed contract talks on Monday morning. It marks the largest nurses’ strike in NYC history.
Hospitals affected by the strike include Mount Sinai locations, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian. Nurses from Mount Sinai began picketing outside their hospitals at 6 a.m. on Jan. 12, followed immediately by nurses from the other medical centers at 7 a.m. the same day.
“Unfortunately, we have made very little progress at the bargaining table,” said Nancy Hagans, RN, president of the New York State Nurses Association, the union representing the striking nurses. “Once again, our bosses made very little effort to meet and bargain.”
Braving below-freezing temperatures, the striking nurses, along with supporters, made their demands clear on Monday morning. Wielding signs that read messages like “Listen to the Nurses” and “Ask for a Real Nurse,” they filled the surrounding streets of the hospitals as passing cars honked their horns in solidarity.
Strike talks began last year with nurses from 12 private hospitals negotiating for safe working conditions, improvements and wage increases. Mutual agreements were made at several of the medical centers, even as late as last week, but Mount Sinai, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian held out.
Hochul’s order to support patient care at affected hospitals
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has been talking with NYSNA and hospital leadership to facilitate a deal, prepared New Yorkers for the imminent strike late Sunday night.
“My top priority is protecting patients and ensuring they can access the care they need,” the governor said. “At the same time, we must reach an agreement that recognizes the essential work nurses do every day on the front lines of our healthcare system.”
Hochul signed an executive order on Jan. 9 declaring a disaster emergency in Manhattan, Bronx and neighboring Nassau County, where the affected hospitals are located, to prepare for “severe staffing shortages” due to the strike.
Per the order, supplemental staffing was added to hospitals and other healthcare facilities to provide care to patients.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani picketed on Monday morning with striking nurses at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in a show of solidarity. On Sunday night, he said that “the city is prepared for any and all scenarios, including a strike,” and that he is closely monitoring the situation in close consultation with the FDNY, the city’s Emergency Management department, and NYC Health + Hospitals.
“No New Yorker should have to fear losing access to health care — and no nurse should be asked to accept less pay, fewer benefits or less dignity for doing lifesaving work,” Mamdani said in a Jan. 11 statement. “Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable.”
Mount Sinai said it added 1,400 specialized nurses to its staff.
As for the strike, a spokesperson for the hospital said it cannot agree to the nurses’ “extreme economic demands.”
Joe Solmonese, senior vice president of strategic communications at Montefiore, called the nurses’ demands “reckless and irresponsible.” Nurses are asking for a total of $3.6 billion, including a nearly 40% wage increase, he said.
It is impossible to determine when the strike will end, but management has indicated that it could last for multiple weeks.
Preparing for a hospital visit during the nurses strike
Both management and the nurses encouraged patients to go to the hospital or emergency room if they need care.
While the affected hospitals have supplemental staffing, it is important to note that waits can be lengthy, especially in emergency rooms.
Parents who have a sick child should call their pediatrician but also go to the emergency department immediately if the child has:
- Trouble breathing
- Blue or gray lips
- Severe dehydration
- A high fever in an infant
- A head injury with vomiting or confusion
- Severe allergic reactions
- Uncontrolled bleeding
This article has more information on what to do if your child is sick during the strike.
Meanwhile, all three Northwell hospitals on Long Island have reached agreements and are not participating in the strike. If you live near the city borders or already use Northwell facilities, this may be a less stressful option for non-emergency care, though travel time matters in urgent situations
With reporting by Danielle Ramos.
