NewYork-Presbyterian Nurses Head Back to Bargaining Table as Strike Reaches Sixth Week

Nurses and hospital officials will meet for their next bargaining session on Thursday as the largest and longest nurses strike in city history continues.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are heading back to the picket line as representatives take a seat at the bargaining table in an effort to reach a new contract. The main issue is over-staffing, which is the subject of Thursday's bargaining session. Nurses recently won a legal battle against the hospital on this very issue, with an arbitrator awarding nearly $400,000 to nurses who work in a pediatric ICU unit due to chronic overstaffing.

Why it matters

The NewYork-Presbyterian nurses strike is the largest and longest in New York City history, highlighting ongoing tensions between healthcare workers and hospital management over staffing levels and patient care. The outcome of these negotiations could set a precedent for future nurse-hospital contract disputes across the region.

The details

The hospital said it has filled vacancies and grown its nursing teams post-pandemic, proactively hiring more than 400 new nurses over the last three years. However, nurses argue that staffing levels are still inadequate, leading to the current strike. Last week, NewYork-Presbyterian nurses overwhelmingly voted down a proposal that included safe-staffing standards, increasing the number of nurses, and raising salaries by 12% over the next three years.

  • The NewYork-Presbyterian nurses strike is entering its 39th day.
  • The next bargaining session between nurses and hospital officials is scheduled for Thursday.

The players

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

A major academic medical center and one of the largest private employers in New York City, with over 47,000 employees.

New York State Nurses Association

The union representing the striking NewYork-Presbyterian nurses, which recently won a legal battle against the hospital over staffing issues.

Roy Permaul

A nurse who commented on the difficulty of the strike process but said it was worth it to preserve healthcare and staffing.

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What they’re saying

“It was a difficult process. It's surreal, it's over 30 days. It was worth it for our patients. It is worth it to preserve our health care, all our staffing.”

— Roy Permaul, Nurse (cbsnews.com)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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