On 12 January almost 15,000 brave New York nurses, organized by the New York Nurses Association (NYSNA), walked out on strike to protect patient and nurse safety! For months, nurses have been bargaining for fair contracts, but management refused to settle fair contracts that included enforceable safe staffing ratios, guaranteed healthcare benefits for frontline nurses, and protections from workplace violence.
Three of New York’s largest private, non-profit hospital systems were affected by the walkout - Montefiore, Mount Sinai and New York-Presbyterian.
Not every hospital in the three health care systems was affected by the strike, nor were any city-run public hospitals. Other private hospitals reached last-minute deals with the union.
As the strike dragged on the nurses had the support of their state and local government with Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani urging the hospitals to keep negotiating with NYSNA.
“When we see a strike, people forget that that is not where workers want to be. The strike is an act of last resort. What workers want is to be back at work. This is about safe working conditions. This is about a fair contract. This is about dignity,” Mayor Mamdani said (04:05).
“What this is in fact about is recognizing the worth of each and every nurse in this city.”
This week, after four weeks of holding the line, nurses have reached a tentative agreement with both Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems for improved staffing levels, workplace safety, health insurance, provisions addressing AI in hospitals and other issues. NYSNA says that nurses at those hospitals have begun voting on ratification of their contracts this week, and if the tentative deals are ratified nurses will begin their return to work on Saturday. Negotiations continue with New-York Presbyterian hospital.
"I'm so proud of the resilience and strength of NYSNA nurses," Pat Keane, NYSNA executive director, said in a statement. "They have shown that when we fight, we win. Nurses sacrificed their own pay and healthcare while on strike to defend patient care for all of New York. We helped galvanize a movement for worker and healthcare justice that reached beyond New York City."
Workplace violence is not a new issue for nurses, wherever those nurses are - New York or Melbourne, they face the same risks.
For New York nurses the incidents can be extreme - in 2017, a doctor went on a rampage at a Bronx hospital with a rifle, killing another physician and wounding six other people before setting himself on fire and shooting himself. In November 2025, a gunman threatened to shoot up Mount Sinai, an episode that underscored nurses’ concerns. In another incident in early January, a man allegedly threatened staff with a sharp object before barricading himself in a Brooklyn hospital room. He was shot and killed by police.
More than 80% of US nurses experience workplace violence each year, according to one industry survey and the rate of violent incidents is increasing. Almost all of these assaults are perpetrated by patients, though patients’ family members can also threaten our safety. Because nurses spend more time than anyone else with patients, they often receive the brunt of their anger and frustrations.
Here in Victoria WorkSafe reports that up to 95% of healthcare workers experience violence and aggression at work. Ongoing public awareness campaigns to reduce the levels of violence that healthcare workers are exposed to appear to be having little impact.
Along with WorkSafe resources about work related violence in the healthcare industry, nurses can seek advice and guidance from their unions. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) encourages its members to report incidents regardless of the severity of the incident with the Union.
The ANMF guide on Occupation Violence and Aggression (OVA) is available for anyone to read, although some of the links are member only.
Health care workers who are not eligible to join ANMF, and workers from other industries, are encouraged to report OVA incidents to their employer and to their own union.
Workers in other industries are advised to report to their own employers and unions.
Read more: Take Action: Support NYC Nurses on Strike! | New York State Nurses Association
New York City nurses reach tentative agreements with some hospitals to end strike