This Fall and Winter, nurses joined together to defend access to quality healthcare for all New Yorkers against attacks from the federal government and hospital executives.

Approximately 20,000 nurses at 12 private-sector hospitals joined together to demand fair contracts that protect patient care for all New Yorkers. Nurses bargained with management for months, and after making little progress at the table, nurses announced their intention to strike in early January. While this was enough to push eight safety-net hospitals to reach tentative agreements with nurses, four private sector hospitals—Montefiore, Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, and NewYork-Presbyterian—refused to budge and on Jan. 12, 2026, 15,000 NYSNA nurses launched what would ultimately become the largest and longest nurse strike in New York City history.

For 41 days, nurses were out of the hospital, marching on picket lines and fighting tooth and nail for the contracts that New York’s nurses and patients deserve. At every step of the way, we were joined by elected officials, allies in the labor movement, our patients, and the people of the communities we serve.

On Feb. 21, NYSNA nurses at NYP voted overwhelmingly to ratify their tentative agreement, ending the historic strike, and returning all 15,000 striking nurses back to work.

Thank you so much to everyone who signed the pledge and supported our campaign! We could not have secured the contracts that New York’s nurses and patients deserve without you. We deeply appreciate the outpouring of support we received over the last six weeks, especially from the patients who spoke out on nurses’ behalf, the community members taking action by sending emails to greedy hospital executives, and the hundreds of you who donated to the NYSNA Strike Hardship Fund. Nurses, first and foremost, are patient advocates, and this fight was about you, the New Yorkers that we’re proud to care for every single day.

While nurses are excited about these new contracts that protect nurse and patient safety, we also recognize the fight isn’t over. We will continue to work to ensure that our hospitals provide safe, quality care for every New Yorker that needs it. We’ll continue to hold our employers accountable when we see them prioritizing hospital profits and executive compensation over patient care. But most importantly, we’ll continue to care for every New Yorker—regardless of zip code, ability to pay, gender identity or immigration status—because nurses care for New York.

To learn more and continue to be involved, visit nysna.org.