(NEW YORK CITY) - On Saturday (February 21st), New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-represented Nurses employed at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) voted overwhelmingly to ratify new three-year agreements.

After 41 days, the vote ends a historic Strike, which began as the largest Nurse Strike in New York City History on January 12th when 15,000 NYSNA Nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, Montefiore Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian began picketing.  

NYSNA Nurses at NYP ratified their new contract by a final vote of 93% to 7%.

Nurses at NYP went into their Strike with their Union Siblings fighting for safety and, after 41 days, ratified a fair contract that delivers on that demand, Union Officials said.

Nurses will begin returning to work this week.

During this historic Nurse Strike, Nurses fought to protect and improve care for New Yorkers while facing some of the wealthiest, largest private employers in the City and battling unseen levels of Union-Busting, public denigration and delay tactics. And the Hospitals flaunted the millions they spent on Temporary Travel Nurses rather than investing in safe patient care.

Despite this, NYSNA Nurses achieved contracts that set industry standards and will improve care for New Yorkers.

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: “This is a proud moment for our Union - (15,000) NYSNA Nurses went out on Strike and finally all (15,000) will be returning to the bedside. We are so happy with the wins we achieved and now the fight to enforce these contracts and hold our employers accountable begins. NYSNA Nurses showed what it means to advocate for patients and this moment will go down in history as a win for our communities, in the fight for health care justice, and for the Labor Movement.”

NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane said: “We’re so proud of our NYSNA Nurses and so grateful for our allies who showed up over and over again on our picket lines. Nurses went up against the wealthiest, largest private employers who tried to undermine Nurses’ spirit and ‘Union Power’ - repeatedly. Nurses remained strong through one of the hardest fights the Labor Movement has seen in this City in years and proved to employers that when you mess with Nurses, you have to face the City’s entire Labor Movement. The support that community organizations, patients and the public gave us kept us strong against these powerful behemoths and, in the end, we achieved wins that will improve care for New York.”

NYSNA Nurses 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. 

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 Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: After 41 Days, Historic Nurse Strike Ends | New York State Nurses Association