NewYork-Presbyterian Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement, Ending Historic Strike
After a strike lasting nearly six weeks, approximately 4,200 nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) at NewYork-Presbyterian have reached a tentative agreement with the hospital system, paving the way for their return to work next week. The strike, which began on January 12, 2026, was the longest nurses’ strike in New York City history .
Key Provisions of the Tentative Agreement
The tentative agreement addresses several key concerns raised by the nurses during the strike, including:
- Safe Staffing Standards: Improvements to enforceable safe staffing standards and an increase in the number of nurses to improve patient care. The agreement prioritizes hiring in understaffed units like the emergency department and the cath lab.
- Health Benefits: Protection of nurses’ health benefits, which the hospital had threatened to cut.
- Workplace Violence: Protections against workplace violence.
- Patient and Nurse Protections: Safeguards for immigrant patients and nurses.
- Artificial Intelligence: Protections against the use of artificial intelligence in ways that could negatively impact nurses.
- Wage Increases: Salary increases exceeding 12% over the three-year life of the contract to aid in recruitment and retention.
A Second Attempt at Agreement
This agreement follows a previous tentative agreement reached on February 13, 2026, which was rejected by rank-and-file nurses by a three-to-one margin. Nurses felt the initial agreement did not adequately address concerns regarding nurse-to-patient ratios and staffing levels . Beth Loudin, a NewYork-Presbyterian neonatal nurse and rank-and-file representative, emphasized that the new agreement secured “significant progress on the things we had clearly defined were lacking.”
Arbitration for Staffing Disputes
While the agreement doesn’t mirror the exact staffing enforcement language secured by nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore in their 2023 strike, it does establish regularly scheduled arbitration dates to resolve staffing disputes more efficiently. An arbitrator recently ruled that nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital were entitled to nearly $400,000 in financial remedies for chronic understaffing .
Impact of the Strike and Return to Work
During the strike, NewYork-Presbyterian cancelled elective surgeries and diverted patients, and hired approximately $100 million worth of travel nurses to maintain operations . The 4,200 nurses were the last holdouts after nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore ratified agreements and returned to work on February 14, 2026. A ratification vote on the current agreement is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, February 21, 2026, with nurses expected to return to work next week if the agreement is approved .
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans stated that the nurses’ perseverance “will improve care for patients” and demonstrate “the power of NYSNA nurses” .
The tentative agreement covers nurses at the following NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals and practices: NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, and NewYork-Presbyterian Ambulatory Care Network (Columbia affiliated only) .