After nearly a month of strikes, there has been a breakthrough in negotiations between nurses and hospitals in New York City. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) announced on Monday (February 9) that they have reached a “preliminary contract agreement” with Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center, potentially ending this unprecedented nurse strike.
However, the related nurses still need to vote on the agreement before they can officially return to work. The Nurses Association stated that the contract vote will continue until Wednesday of this week.
According to information provided by the Nurses Association to its members, these new contracts are valid until 2028 and include the following salary adjustment contents: a 4% raise in March 2026, another 4% raise in March 2027, a 1% raise in January 2028, and a further 3% raise in July 2028.
The Executive Committee of the Mount Sinai Hospital Nurses Union sent an email to its members at 4:45 am on Monday, announcing “We have reached a preliminary agreement!” Montefiore also confirmed that they have reached a tentative agreement with the Nurses Union.
In addition to salary adjustments, nurses have also made progress on several core demands, including improving staffing levels, enhancing workplace safety, and establishing safeguards for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical settings.
The union stated that these terms are crucial for ensuring patient safety and the professional autonomy of nurses.
On the other hand, nurses at the Presbyterian Hospital of New York are still in negotiations with the hospital.
This strike, which began on January 12th, is the largest and longest nurse strike in the history of New York City. At its peak, nearly 15,000 nurses left their positions, braving the harsh cold to set up picket lines outside hospitals, protesting the prolonged negotiations.
With the preliminary agreement now in place, whether the strike will come to a complete end depends on the results of the member vote in the coming days.