Article
How the strikes ended
In New York City, about 15,000 members of the New York State Nurses Association walked out on Jan. 12 at Montefiore, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian. Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai reached tentative agreements on Feb. 9 and ratified them two days later. The last group, about 4,200 nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian, ratified a three-year contract on Feb. 21 and began returning this week. At 41 days, it was the city’s largest nurse strike.
The settlements include raises of more than 12% over three years, stronger safe staffing standards, protection of health benefits, workplace violence protections and safeguards for immigrant patients and nurses.
On the West Coast, roughly 31,000 nurses and health professionals represented by UNAC/UHCP ended a four-week, open-ended strike at more than two dozen Kaiser Permanente hospitals and hundreds of clinics in California and Hawaii. Workers return today. Kaiser said union leaders accepted its offer of 21.5% across-the-board wage increases. Local bargaining continues, and about 2,400 mental health clinicians in Northern California represented by NUHW authorized a one-day unfair labor practice strike over alleged unilateral changes to Kaiser’s triage system, with no date set.
What it means for other hospitals
These contracts will be cited at bargaining tables nationwide. Unions now have recent, high-profile examples of double-digit multiyear raises paired with enforceable staffing language. Even nonunion hospitals compete for the same nurses and will feel pressure on market rates.
The strikes also showed how long a large system can be forced to operate on replacement staff. Six weeks of disrupted operations carries costs well beyond premium labor, including delayed procedures, staff burnout and reputational strain.
Steps for leadership teams
- Rerun labor forecasts. Test 2026 and 2027 budgets against raises in the range these contracts set, especially where agreements expire in the next 18 months.
- Get ahead on staffing. Work with nurse leaders on staffing models and how they are measured before they become strike issues.
- Prepare a contingency plan. Confirm replacement staffing contracts, service reduction plans and communication protocols for an extended work stoppage.
- Watch the mental health front. Behavioral health clinicians are organizing around care model changes, not only pay. Involve them early when redesigning triage or access.
Archive entry for Feb 24, 2026, added Nov. 11, 2026.