New York nurses seek a fair contract as agreements expire

Contracts covering about 20,000 New York State Nurses Association members expired at the start of 2026, and nurses at Mount Sinai and other city hospitals say safe staffing, workplace safety and benefits are central bargaining issues as a larger strike looms involving up to 12 hospitals.

Nurses working in a pediatric emergency room in New York report a heavy winter surge of respiratory illness while their union contract expired as 2026 began. The nurses say that staffing levels, workplace safety and health benefits are core concerns in current bargaining. They also describe recent management actions — including discipline of union leaders and bringing in replacement nurses — and warn a larger labor action could involve multiple hospitals. What is known: - Contracts covering about 20,000 registered nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association expired at the start of 2026. - Nurses list safe staffing, protection from workplace violence, health benefits and the role of AI in care among the primary bargaining issues. - The article reports hospital management has disciplined some union leaders, hired replacement nurses and said it may deduct replacement costs from contracts if nurses strike. - The article notes Mount Sinai’s recent finances, mentions independent arbitrators awarded roughly $4.7 million in remedies to understaffed nurses in 2024, and that the system reported substantial revenue and plans for capital spending. Summary: Nurses say current negotiations center on staffing, safety and benefits while contracts have just expired and the possibility of broader strike action is reported. Undetermined at this time.