Nurses make their calls for clear on the picket line exterior Mount Sinai on Jan. 12, 2026.
Picture by Dean Moses
Practically 15,000 nurses in NYC are formally on strike after strolling off the job attributable to failed contract talks on Monday morning. It marks the most important nurses’ strike in NYC historical past.
Hospitals affected by the strike embody Mount Sinai areas, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian. Nurses from Mount Sinai started picketing exterior their hospitals at 6 a.m. on Jan. 12, adopted instantly by nurses from the opposite medical facilities at 7 a.m. the identical day.
“Unfortunately, we have made very little progress at the bargaining table,” stated Nancy Hagans, RN, president of the New York State Nurses Affiliation, the union representing the hanging nurses. “Once again, our bosses made very little effort to meet and bargain.”
Braving below-freezing temperatures, the hanging nurses, together with supporters, made their calls for clear on Monday morning. Wielding indicators that learn messages like “Listen to the Nurses” and “Ask for a Real Nurse,” they stuffed the encompassing streets of the hospitals as passing vehicles honked their horns in solidarity.
Strike talks started final 12 months with nurses from 12 personal hospitals negotiating for protected working situations, enhancements and wage will increase. Mutual agreements have been made at a number of of the medical facilities, whilst late as final week, however Mount Sinai, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian held out.
Hochul’s order to assist affected person care at affected hospitals
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has been speaking with NYSNA and hospital management to facilitate a deal, ready New Yorkers for the approaching strike late Sunday night time.
“My top priority is protecting patients and ensuring they can access the care they need,” the governor stated. “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.”
The nurses strike at main NYC hospitals started on Jan. 12, 2026.Picture by Dean Moses
Hochul signed an govt order on Jan. 9 declaring a catastrophe emergency in Manhattan, Bronx and neighboring Nassau County, the place the affected hospitals are positioned, to organize for “severe staffing shortages” because of the strike.
Per the order, supplemental staffing was added to hospitals and different healthcare amenities to supply care to sufferers.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani picketed on Monday morning with hanging nurses at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in a present of solidarity. On Sunday night time, he stated that “the city is prepared for any and all scenarios, including a strike,” and that he’s intently monitoring the state of affairs in shut session with the FDNY, the town’s Emergency Administration division, and NYC Well being + 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 stated in a Jan. 11 assertion. “Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable.”
Mount Sinai stated it added 1,400 specialised nurses to its workers.
As for the strike, a spokesperson for the hospital stated it can not conform to the nurses’ “extreme economic demands.”
Joe Solmonese, senior vice chairman of strategic communications at Montefiore, referred to as the nurses’ calls for “reckless and irresponsible.” Nurses are asking for a complete of $3.6 billion, together with an almost 40% wage enhance, he stated.
It’s unattainable to find out when the strike will finish, however administration has indicated that it might final for a number of weeks.
Others, together with docs and sufferers, supply their assist throughout the nurses strike on Jan. 12, 2026.Picture by Dean Moses
Making ready for a hospital go to throughout the nurses strike
Each administration and the nurses inspired sufferers to go to the hospital or emergency room in the event that they want care.
Whereas the affected hospitals have supplemental staffing, you will need to be aware that waits could be prolonged, particularly in emergency rooms.
Mother and father who’ve a sick baby ought to name their pediatrician but in addition go to the emergency division instantly if the kid has:
Hassle respiratory
Blue or grey lips
Extreme dehydration
A excessive fever in an toddler
A head damage with vomiting or confusion
Extreme allergic reactions
Uncontrolled bleeding
This text has extra data on what to do in case your baby is sick throughout the strike.
In the meantime, all three Northwell hospitals on Lengthy Island have reached agreements and usually are not collaborating within the strike. For those who stay close to the town borders or already use Northwell amenities, this can be a much less traumatic choice for non-emergency care, although journey time issues in pressing conditions
With reporting by Danielle Ramos.
