A three-day nurses strike that disrupted patient care and services at two major New York City hospitals ended early Thursday morning after a tentative deal was reached overnight — triggering the return of more than 7,000 nurses to work.
Many of the nurses who first walked off the job Monday morning at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx were back caring for patients around dawn Thursday following a contract settlement between the two hospitals and the New York State Nursing Association, which had been seeking improved nurse-to-patient ratios for workers stretched to the limit after the COVID pandemic thinned staffing levels at hospitals across the city.
“Through our unity and by putting it all on the line, we won enforceable safe staffing ratios at both Montefiore and Mount Sinai where nurses went on strike for patient care,” NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said in a statement. “Today, we can return to work with our heads held high, knowing that our victory means safer care for our patients and more sustainable jobs for our profession.”
Mount Sinai and Montefiore were the only two hospitals to go on strike after several other private city hospitals reached deals with the NYSNA last week. The agreements included pay raises of 19% over three years.
The rampup to strikes at those hospitals began two weeks ago, when nurses delivered 10-day strike notices to eight hospitals in the five boroughs. Now all of them — including New York-Presbyterian, Maimonides Medical Center, Richmond University Medical Center, BronxCare, Flushing Hospital and Mount Sinai’s Morningside and West facilities — have reached ratified or tentative deals with the union. The now-soothed labor tensions had been brewing for years and began to reach a boiling point during the pandemic when nurses became more vocal with their concerns about staffing shortages and poor working conditions.
“Our proposed agreement is similar to those between NYSNA and eight other New York City hospitals. It is fair and responsible, and it puts patients first,” Mount Sinai Health System said in a statement Thursday.
Montefiore said the deal would provide “the best possible working environment, with significant wage and benefit enhancements.”
“We know this strike impacted everyone — not just our nurses — and we were committed to coming to a resolution as soon as possible to minimize disruption to patient care,” the hospital said.
Montefiore’s President and CEO Dr. Philip Ozuah noted that the tentative deal includes “19% wage increase, benefits that match or exceed those of our peer institutions, more than 170 new nursing positions and a generous plan to address recruitment and retention.”
“We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of our nurses who have served through very challenging circumstances over the past several years.” Ozuah said.
Although the deals are tentative and must still be ratified by NYSNA, they were enough to end both walkouts. The ratification process is set to begin next week.
Hagans said Thursday that the tentative three-year deal with Mount Sinai contains “firm” new language regarding the enforcement of nurse-to-patient ratios, and preserves benefits and increases wages by more than 19% over three years.
At Montefiore, she said the union won higher wages and secured improved staffing ratios in that hospital’s emergency department, as well as enforcement provisions around staffing that include financial penalties.
“The enforcement language was very important to our members because staffing could look great on paper, but if you don’t have enforcement, it won’t go anywhere,” she said.
Hagans also touted a commitment from Montefiore to reopen closed units and renovate the emergency department to better accommodate patients who’ve had to stay in hallways due to a lack of space.
“No more hallway beds,” she said. “We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Nurses care for our communities. This historic contract will deliver respect for our nurses and our patients.”
The nurses union also announced Thursday that a strike has been averted at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where nurses recently delivered a 12-day strike notice to management. Nurses and management at Wyckoff reached a tentative deal Wednesday night, removing the threat of a walkout.
Management at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and the New York State Nurses Association have also reached a tentative deal.
The walkout, which Hagans called “historic,” attracted national attention, with labor leaders and elected officials like Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul voicing their support for the nurses.
Gov. Hochul, who was on hand to greet returning nurses at Mount Sinai Thursday, said the three-year contract gives nurses “a well-deserved 19% pay increase here. Also better benefits, higher wages for those with higher education, and again, a working environment that allows them to focus on patient care.”
