The union representing some 15,000 striking nurses said Wednesday it is going back to the bargaining table Thursday at the urging of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) said it would resume talks with hospital bosses in the hope of finally putting the long nurses strike to an end just before a major cold snap hits the Big Apple.
“NYSNA nurses at Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, and NewYork-Presbyterian will resume bargaining on Thursday after being urged back to the negotiating table by Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani,” the union said in a statement.
Wednesday marked Day 10 of the NYC nurses strike, keeping nearly 15,000 caretakers on the picket line and out of major hospitals as contract negotiations between their union and management remain stalled.
But NYSNA’s announcement offers a glimmer of hope to end the strike.
“Nurses stand ready to bargain to reach fair contracts and end the strike,” the statement continued. “With continued support of mediators, nurses plan on bargaining daily to settle fair contracts that protect patient and nurse safety. Nurses will continue to picket and strike until tentative agreements are reached with the hospitals.”
Meanwhile, the unionized nurses stayed strong this week, braving the bitter cold of the picket lines outside the affected hospitals.
It has been over a week since the largest nurses strike in NYC history began on Jan. 12. The nurses have been asking for better pay, more staff and improved workplace conditions. Some members of hospital leadership have called the union’s salary demands unrealistic. A spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian said nurses at the hospital are “among the highest paid” in the city.
“Its latest proposals include an approximately 25% wage increase over three years,” a hospital spokesperson said on Tuesday. “NYSNA’s demands ignore the economic realities of healthcare in New York City and the country.”
Brendan Carr, MD, CEO of Mount Sinai, said in a statement to staff that “despite our best efforts to negotiate, a near-term path to an agreement is very unlikely.”
The nurses, meanwhile, have doubled down on their demands.
“Montefiore, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian need to get serious about meeting our demands for safety,” Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, said. “If struggling safety-net hospitals can figure out how to fund our health benefits, safely staff our hospitals and protect nurses from workplace violence, then the richest hospitals can figure it out, too. Instead of investing millions in fighting their own nurses, hospital executives need to do the right thing and work with us to improve safety.”
Each hospital is working independently with the nurses. Talks that have taken place since the nurses’ contract expired on Dec. 31 have not been successful, but Thursday’s talk might prove differently.
Meanwhile, nurses have received strong support from area politicians and unions. On Tuesday, picket-line nurses at Mount Sinai received a special visit from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and one of his political heroes, Vermont Sen. and Brooklyn native Bernie Sanders. This was the mayor’s second visit to the nurses after greeting them in support on Jan. 12.
At the picket line, he echoed what the nurses have been saying: That the prolonged strike is “not about compensation.” He zeroed in on fairness and safety.
“This is about a fair contract. This is about dignity,” he said. “Wherever I go in New York City, I hear about the plight of our nurses. Now is your time of need, where we can ensure that this is a city you don’t just work in, but a city you can also live in.”
As the strike continues, the affected hospitals are continuing to maintain support to provide patient care. All three hospitals are open and providing care with support from agency nurses and the NYS Department of Health.
“Despite the staffing disruption, we have done numerous organ transplantations, nearly one dozen cardiac surgeries, and more than 100 cardiac catheterizations,” Carr said, adding that Mount Sinai’s outpatient practices and labor and delivery are “running at full capacity.”
Both hospital management and the nurses urge New Yorkers to go to the hospital if they need care.
