Nearly 15,000 nurses from several New York City hospitals went on strike Monday morning in response to a contract negotiation that concluded without a deal.

Nurses strike in response to contract negotiations

The nurses’ strike is the largest in New York City’s history. Most union members authorized the walkout last month, ABC 7 NY and The Guardian reported.

The hospital locations affected by the strike include Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Their contracts expired Dec. 31. During negotiations, the union sought increased staffing to improve patient care, fully funded benefits and stronger protections in the workplace against violence for its members, per ABC 7 NY.

Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios.
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC's biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center strike outside the hospital on January 12, 2026 in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, Montefiore Medical Center and the main campus of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC’s biggest hospitals, have gone on strike. The union representing the nurses says they are demanding higher wages, more security at hospitals to reduce violent episodes and shootings, and a commitment to ensuring minimum staffing ratios. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

‘Too many nurses can’t make ends meet’

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of the protest, calling on hospital administrators to reach a last-minute agreement to prevent the walkout. Per The Guardian, she emphasized that the strike “could jeopardize the lives of thousands of New Yorkers and patients.”

“I’m strongly encouraging everyone to stay at the table, both sides, management and the nurses, until this is resolved,” Hochul said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced support for the nurses, highlighting the gap between administrators’ benefits and nurses’ working conditions.

“There is no shortage of wealth in the health care industry,” he said, per ABC 7 NY. “The CEO of Montefiore made more than $16 million last year. The CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian made $26 million. But too many nurses can’t make ends meet.”

He said the nurses are not asking for an extensive list of demands, but “pensions to be safeguarded, to be protected in their own workplace, and to receive the pay and health benefits they deserve.”

Some hospitals have hired temporary nurses ahead of the strike

Sophie Boland, a pediatric intensive care nurse in the NewYork-Presbyterian system, spoke out about the medical center’s staffing issues and the inroads they have made in recent years.

“My hospital tries to cut corners on staffing every day, and then they try to fight historic gains we made three years ago,” she said in a statement obtained by CNBC.

The strike echoes the 2023 labor dispute, when the same private, nonprofit hospitals said they had made significant staffing improvements. However, they stated that the nurses’ current demands are too expensive, according to The Associated Press.

In response to the strike, Mount Sinai has brought in more than 1,000 temporary nurses and has run strike-preparation drills at its main 1,100-bed hospital and two affiliates with around 500 beds each, Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West.

Meanwhile, New York-Presbyterian said it plans to hire temporary nurses but that if the strike happens, some patients might have to move to new rooms or another facility.

Montefiore has not said whether it has hired temporary nurses, but some staff, including intensive care nurse Michelle Gonzalez, said the hospital has fallen short on promises, such as making “all reasonable efforts” to end the practice of keeping emergency room patients in hallways.