(NEW YORK CITY) – The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) announced today (Thursday, February 19) that 4,200 of its Members who are employed at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) have reached a tentative contract agreement after six weeks of a historic Nurse Strike.

The NYSNA Nurses fought for and won an agreement that: Improves enforceable Safe Staffing Standards and increases the number of Nurses to improve patient care; Protects their health benefits that Hospitals threatened to drastically cut; Protects Nurses from workplace violence; Protects Immigrant patients and Nurses; Safeguards against Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their contracts for the first time; Increases salaries by more than 12% over the life of the three-year contract to recruit and retain Nurses for safe patient care; Beat back aggressive take aways on health care and safe staffing enforcement; and Returns all nurses to work after ratification. 

Members will vote on whether to ratify the contracts this weekend and return to work next week.  More details on the agreement will follow ratification.  

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: “For a month and a half, through some of the harshest weather this City has seen in years, Nurses at NYP showed this City that they won’t make any compromises to patient care. They stood in the cold, snow, ice and wind, along with their Union Siblings, fighting back management’s attempts to cut corners on care and secured contracts that improve enforceable safe staffing ratios, improve protections from workplace violence, and maintain health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs for Front-Line Nurses. The wins of our Private Sector Nurses will improve care for patients and their perseverance and endurance have shown people worldwide the power of NYSNA Nurses.”

NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane said, “NYSNA Nurses consistently showed they’re much stronger than hospitals executives imagine. NYP Nurses were relentless in their fight for a contract that Nurses and patients deserve - and they delivered. They secured more Nurses to improve staffing, achieved the layoffs protections they needed and ultimately showed one of the richest Hospitals in the State that when Nurses stick together, anything is possible.”

NYSNA began bargaining in September,

The Union Nurses employed at Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Mount Sinai Morningside and West went on the largest and longest Nurse Strike in New York City History on January 12th.

They picketed through some of the coldest temperatures in the City and demonstrated their incredible resolve to protect patient and Nurse safety through fair contracts.  

NYSNA Nurses at Montefiore, Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Morningside and West voted overwhelmingly to ratify their contracts earlier this month and returned to work on Saturday, February 14th.

NYSNA - which represents more than 42,000 Members across the State, is New York’s largest Union and Professional Association for Registered Nurses (RNs).

NYSNA is an Affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the country's largest and fastest-growing Union and Professional Association of RNs, with more than 225,000 Members nationwide.

To Directly Access This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Victory: Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Reach Tentative Agreement to End Strike After 6 Weeks of Historic Nurse Strike | New York State Nurses Association