Over 1,000 Filipino nurses joined the the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) strike launched on January 12 in New York City. They were among the 15,000 nurses from ten private hospitals in New York (Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, and Montefiore) who went on strike that day.

The strike resulted from a deadlock in several months of negotiations for increased wages, benefits, and protection from workplace violence.

The last major strike in the city happened in 2023. Nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore stopped working for three days and won a 19% salary increase over three years.

The hospital strikes occurred simultaneously but the unions negotiated independently and separately with their respective hospitals. The unions first gained partial victories at Richmond University Medical Center, Northwell/Plainview Hospital in Long Island, Bronxcare Health System, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health Interfaith Medical Center and One Brooklyn Health Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Wyckoff Height Medical Center, and The Brooklyn Hospital.

According to NYSNA, the officials of Mount Sinai, New York-Presbyterian, and Montefiore responded with retaliation, intimidation, and delays while nurses fought for everyone’s rights. The management of these hospitals even boasted about spending US$100 million to hire temporary replacement nurses instead of addressing the union’s demands.

“Mount Sinai, New York-Presbyterian, and Montefiore, the wealthiest private hospitals in New York City, claim they cannot afford a fair contract for the safety of patients and nurses, yet they have enough funds to fight their own workers,” NYSNA said.

The strike forced New York City governor Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency.

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