NYC Nurses Strike Ends After NewYork-Presbyterian Nurses Ratify New Contract

The 41-day walkout was the largest and longest by nurses in New York City history.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian have ratified a new three-year contract, ending the largest and longest strike by nurses in New York City history. The 4,200 nurses in the NewYork-Presbyterian system will begin returning to work next week after the agreement was backed by 93% of the nurses voting.

Why it matters

The NewYork-Presbyterian nurses were the last holdouts in the 41-day strike, which began on Jan. 12 and saw nearly 15,000 nurses at multiple hospital systems walk off the job. The strike highlighted ongoing tensions between nurses and hospital management over issues like staffing levels, workplace safety, and benefits.

The details

The new contract includes a roughly 12% salary increase over three years, commitments from NewYork-Presbyterian to boost staffing, implement new workplace safety measures, and maintain nurses' health benefits. It is also the first contract to include protections against artificial intelligence.

  • The 41-day strike began on January 12, 2026.
  • Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian ratified the new contract on February 21, 2026.

The players

New York State Nurses Association

The union representing the striking nurses.

NewYork-Presbyterian

The hospital system where the nurses were employed and where the strike took place.

Nancy Hagans

President of the New York State Nurses Association.

Pat Kane

Executive Director of the New York State Nurses Association.

Beth Loudin

A nurse on the bargaining committee at NewYork-Presbyterian.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Nancy Hagans, President, New York State Nurses Association (Gothamist)

“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.”

— Pat Kane, Executive Director, New York State Nurses Association (Gothamist)

“This has been a long, hard fight, but we are proud of what we achieved.”

— Beth Loudin, Nurse, NewYork-Presbyterian bargaining committee (Gothamist)

What’s next

The nurses will begin returning to work at NewYork-Presbyterian next week after ratifying the new three-year contract.

The takeaway

The successful nurses' strike at NewYork-Presbyterian and other major New York City hospital systems demonstrated the power of collective action and the labor movement in advocating for better working conditions and patient care. The new contract includes important wins for nurses that will improve staffing levels, workplace safety, and benefits.