Nurses in New York City Break Strike Stalemate with Tentative Contracts
After nearly a month on the picketline, striking nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals have reached tentative contract agreements that could bring an end to the strike. The New York State Nurses Association announced Monday morning that negotiations had resulted in deals that would run through 2028, offering raises of 4% this year and next, as well as smaller boosts in January 2028 and July 2028.
While the new contracts are lower than the 18% increase won by nurses in their previous agreements, which expired on December 31st, they represent a compromise between what nurses and hospitals had been proposing. NYSNA officials celebrated the tentative agreements as a victory, with Executive Director Pat Kane praising the resilience and strength of NYSNA nurses.
The new contracts also include gains on staffing ratios, workplace safety, and artificial intelligence usage. Montefiore has committed to lowering nurse-to-patient ratios in several areas and creating new positions to reduce patient wait times. For the first time, Montefiore is committing to a safe staffing standard in an outpatient unit. Mount Sinai Hospital has agreed to deadlines for hiring new full-time employees and creating new positions.
Nurses have expressed concern over the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence to assist with patient care, citing the risk of errors. The tentative agreements specify that employees will be allowed to use their clinical judgment to override AI or machine learning decisions. Both hospitals agree to notify the union before introducing new technology affecting nurses' practices.
The tentative contracts also address workplace safety, including a commitment from Montefiore to screen for weapons at entrances where the practice is not already in place and providing time off for employees who have been assaulted on the job. Mount Sinai fact sheet indicates that new weapons detectors will be installed by the end of this year.
Voting on the contracts begins Monday afternoon and continues through Wednesday, with nurses set to return to work by Saturday if ratified. The ongoing strike is the longest and largest in city history, with nearly 15,000 nurses walking off the job on January 12th.
After nearly a month on the picketline, striking nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals have reached tentative contract agreements that could bring an end to the strike. The New York State Nurses Association announced Monday morning that negotiations had resulted in deals that would run through 2028, offering raises of 4% this year and next, as well as smaller boosts in January 2028 and July 2028.
While the new contracts are lower than the 18% increase won by nurses in their previous agreements, which expired on December 31st, they represent a compromise between what nurses and hospitals had been proposing. NYSNA officials celebrated the tentative agreements as a victory, with Executive Director Pat Kane praising the resilience and strength of NYSNA nurses.
The new contracts also include gains on staffing ratios, workplace safety, and artificial intelligence usage. Montefiore has committed to lowering nurse-to-patient ratios in several areas and creating new positions to reduce patient wait times. For the first time, Montefiore is committing to a safe staffing standard in an outpatient unit. Mount Sinai Hospital has agreed to deadlines for hiring new full-time employees and creating new positions.
Nurses have expressed concern over the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence to assist with patient care, citing the risk of errors. The tentative agreements specify that employees will be allowed to use their clinical judgment to override AI or machine learning decisions. Both hospitals agree to notify the union before introducing new technology affecting nurses' practices.
The tentative contracts also address workplace safety, including a commitment from Montefiore to screen for weapons at entrances where the practice is not already in place and providing time off for employees who have been assaulted on the job. Mount Sinai fact sheet indicates that new weapons detectors will be installed by the end of this year.
Voting on the contracts begins Monday afternoon and continues through Wednesday, with nurses set to return to work by Saturday if ratified. The ongoing strike is the longest and largest in city history, with nearly 15,000 nurses walking off the job on January 12th.