Over 15,000 nurses in New York City have walked off the job at hospitals across Manhattan and the Bronx, marking what could be the largest nurses' strike in city history. The strike, which began on Monday morning, comes as healthcare funding is under threat due to federal cuts.
The workers are demanding better staffing levels, particularly in emergency departments, where they fear for their patients' safety. This includes measures such as metal detectors at hospital entrances to prevent shootings. Nurses also want clearer policies around federal immigration agents accessing hospitals and more support for addressing workplace violence.
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has been negotiating with the three main hospital operators – Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Health System, and NewYork-Presbyterian – over salary, benefits, and working conditions. However, hospital executives say that meeting these demands would be financially unsustainable.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined striking nurses at a press conference, calling on hospital management to bargain in good faith. He noted the contrast between high salaries for hospital executives and the financial pressures faced by hospitals due to federal cuts. The city is working to provide high-quality care during the strike.
The strike has been hailed as necessary to protect patient safety and address broader issues affecting healthcare workers. As one nurse put it, "Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing, not fear."
The workers are demanding better staffing levels, particularly in emergency departments, where they fear for their patients' safety. This includes measures such as metal detectors at hospital entrances to prevent shootings. Nurses also want clearer policies around federal immigration agents accessing hospitals and more support for addressing workplace violence.
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has been negotiating with the three main hospital operators – Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Health System, and NewYork-Presbyterian – over salary, benefits, and working conditions. However, hospital executives say that meeting these demands would be financially unsustainable.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined striking nurses at a press conference, calling on hospital management to bargain in good faith. He noted the contrast between high salaries for hospital executives and the financial pressures faced by hospitals due to federal cuts. The city is working to provide high-quality care during the strike.
The strike has been hailed as necessary to protect patient safety and address broader issues affecting healthcare workers. As one nurse put it, "Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing, not fear."
. I mean, 15k+ nurses walking out is a big deal, and I can see why they're fighting for better staffing levels and safety measures – it's their patients who are gonna suffer if things don't change ASAP. On the other hand, it's sad to hear that hospital execs are being like "no way, we can't meet these demands without going bankrupt". It just goes to show how healthcare workers are often treated like they're disposable 
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. I mean, we're talking about the largest nurses' strike in NYC history here! It's like, what even is the point of having all these fancy hospital buildings if you can't afford to hire enough staff? And don't even get me started on the whole metal detector thing – it's just so... extra 
. But seriously, I think the nurses are right on the money when it comes to patient safety and addressing workplace violence. It's all about being able to focus on healing people, not worrying about getting shot at every time they go to work 
. It's like hospital executives are more worried about their bank accounts than patient lives 
. And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that there even needs to be a strike in the first place? Hospitals should be places of healing, not fear 
. This whole situation just feels so avoidable 
lets see how long they can keep these hospitals from losin money 
btw why cant hospital execs afford better staffin & benefits? sounds like they got some serious math skills issues 
. 15,000 striking at the same time is just crazy, and I get why they're fighting for safer staffing levels and metal detectors - those ERs can be SO frightening 
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. It's just not fair that they're having to choose between keeping their jobs and actually getting paid enough to live in the city 
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. Anyway, I hope the strike gets resolved soon and we can get back to some semblance of normalcy 
... can't help but think about the lives at risk because of staffing shortages 
and lack of resources 
. NYSNA been negotiatin with hospital ops but they say meetin demands would be financially unsound 
. Its all about patient safety & addressin issues affecting healthcare workers 
. Hospitals r supposed 2 b places of healin not fear 
metal detectors at hospital entrances? yeah right... like that's gonna solve the problem. and federal immigration agents in hospitals? that's a whole other can of worms. nurses are fightin for their rights but it's all just politics, you know? 
especially w/ all the cuts happening rn it's like ppl think healthcare is a luxury we can afford 2 give up 
. And I feel bad for the hospital execs saying it's financially unsustainable, but at what cost? Patients' lives are on the line here 
. The fact that there are high salaries for executives and federal cuts affecting hospitals is just not right 