Nearly 15,000 nurses in New York City have launched the largest nurses strike in the city’s history, walking off the job Monday (January 12) at several major hospitals after contract talks stalled.

According to the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), striking nurses left their shifts at five privately run facilities — Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center — after negotiations failed to produce a new contract. The walkouts began at 6 a.m. at Mount Sinai and 7 a.m. at the other hospitals.

With no deal reached before Monday’s deadline, nurses say the strike is necessary to protect both staff and patients.

The union says the city’s wealthiest hospital systems have refused to compromise on key issues, including fair pay raises, safe nurse-to-patient staffing levels, full healthcare coverage, pensions, and stronger workplace protections against violence. NYSNA officials argue that administrators are prioritizing profits over safe patient care and supporting working conditions that attract and retain qualified nurses.

“In every one of our city’s darkest periods, nurses showed up to work,” said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who joined striking nurses outside NewYork-Presbyterian in Washington Heights. “Their value is not negotiable and their worth is not up for debate. They show up, and all they are asking for in return is dignity, respect, and the fair pay and treatment they deserve. They should settle for nothing less.”