NYC Nurses Strike Enters Second Day As 15,000 Walk Off Job And Hospitals Scramble To Cope

Thousands of nurses across New York City were back on the picket lines Tuesday as a major labor strike against some of the city’s largest hospital systems moved into its second day.

Union leaders say about 15,000 nurses began the strike Monday morning, walking out at multiple locations operated by NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center, and Mount Sinai.

In response to the walkout, the hospitals have brought in large numbers of temporary nurses in an effort to maintain staffing levels and continue operations.

Both hospital officials and union representatives have stressed that patients should not delay or avoid seeking medical care during the strike.

The current labor action comes three years after a similar nurses strike that forced hospitals to transfer patients and divert ambulances due to staffing shortages.

As they did during the 2023 strike, nurses say unsafe staffing levels remain a central issue, accusing well-funded hospital systems of refusing to commit to enforceable standards that would ensure manageable workloads and patient safety.

The private, nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they have improved staffing in recent years and argue that the union’s demands would impose unsustainable costs.

On Monday, the city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, joined nurses on a picket line outside NewYork-Presbyterian, applauding their efforts and saying they were fighting for “dignity, respect, and the fair pay and treatment that they deserve.”