Nearly 15,000 nurses went on strike Monday at major New York City hospitals, including Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, and Montefiore, demanding higher pay, safer staffing ratios, and better security. “Wealthy hospitals are trying to undo the safe staffing standards we won for our patients when we went on strike three years ago,” said Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association.
Hospitals prepared for the strike by hiring travel nurses and transferring patients, while state officials warned the walkout could threaten public health.
Striking nurses also cited recent violent incidents at hospitals as a factor in their decision, with many protesting outside hospital entrances chanting and holding signs like “Burnout is not a staffing plan.”