A record number of New York City private hospital nurses went on strike Monday at 7 a.m. Nurses across Montefiore Health System are rallying against management for what they call corporate greed and lack of investment in patient care.
Nearly 15,000 private hospital nurses from Montefiore, New York-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai walked off the job after failing to reach a contract throughout months of negotiations. Union members are collectively seeking guaranteed and affordable healthcare, improved staffing ratios and protections from violent incidents within the facilities, along with higher pay, according to their union, the New York State Nurses Association.
Hundreds of nurses sang, played instruments, danced and cheered along East 210th St. and Bainbridge Ave. at the Moses Campus, which includes the emergency department and children’s hospital, as patients streamed in and out and drivers waved and honked their horns in solidarity.
Many nurses carried handmade signs that took a humorous approach to their demands, such as, “These hospitals are more toxic than my ex” and “Think we’ll give up easily? Ask us how long we wait to pee!” Along the Bainbridge Ave. side, a group of nurses played the song “No Scrubs” by TLC and chanted, “No contract, no scrubs!”
A statement on the hospital’s website said that despite the strike, people seeking care should keep their appointments and come to the facilities as usual. “Services provided by Montefiore Medical Center will not be impacted by the nurses’ strike. All patient appointments remain scheduled unless you hear directly from your provider.”
In response to the strike, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared an state disaster in Bronx and New York counties and the surrounding area, calling on government agencies to assist in maintaining public health and safety.
Despite its nonprofit status, Montefiore President and CEO Dr. Philip Ozuah received $16.6 million in compensation in 2023, according to its 990 form obtained by the Bronx Times. In response, one of the striking nurses held a sign displaying Ozuah’s photo and salary that read, “We need more nurses, less millionaire exec$.”
‘Treating people like sardines’
The nurses’ strike also comes amid a major nationwide workforce shortage. Across the country, nursing school enrollment is not keeping up with demand and they have a high turnover rate due to burnout caused by insufficient staffing, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
By 2030, New York state is estimated to face a shortage of 40,000 nurses, according to the Department of Health.
Though the current strike affects a record number of nurses, other medical professionals at city-run and private hospitals in recent years have walked off the job, or nearly did, and made similar contract demands. Montefiore nurses went on a three-day strike in 2023, and H+H doctors narrowly averted a strike in early 2025.
A Montefiore spokesperson said the current union has made “reckless demands,” including a 40% pay increase and “demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job.”
“We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last,” said Joe Solmonese, senior vice president of strategic communications, in a statement sent to the Bronx Times.
However, nurses said management has publicly mischaracterized their demands. Increasing wages is actually a low priority compared to improving patient care, said Shaija Kalathil, case manager at Montefiore for 17 years.
He said that the union did ask for a 30% pay increase — 10% over each of the next three years — but proposed that figure as the highest ask, knowing it would be reduced during negotiations.
On salary, management’s characterization of the union’s demand is “a straight-up lie,” Kalathil said. “We’re only asking for really reasonable asks from management,” given the high cost of living in the New York City area, he said.
Another priority for the union is increasing the space available in the emergency department. Montefiore operates four adult emergency rooms and one for children and its emergency department is the busiest in the state, with 275,000 adult visitors each year.
“In the ED, they’re treating people like sardines there. If you look in there, you cannot even walk around it,” Kalathil said.
He said he hopes the union and management will return to bargaining soon but expressed a bleak outlook thus far.
“Here, we are struggling,” he said. “We are struggling for the community, we are struggling for the families, we are struggling for ourselves.”
Johnaira Dilon-Florian, a Montefiore nurse practicioner for 10 years and member of NYSNA’s bargaining committee, said that the union’s top priorities of improving staffing ratios, adding space in emergency rooms and protecting against workplace violence are all intertwined.
“Unfortunately, when you have a situation where you have the ED’s overcrowded, people get frustrated, and they tend to lash out at the nurses,” Dilone-Florian said.
She added that maintaining health benefits and pensions is key to protecting the nursing workforce. A NYSNA spokesperson said that while Montefiore nurses’ healthcare benefits with no monthly premium are currently secure, management at Mount Sinai and New York-Presbyterian have not agreed to the union’s asks in terms of benefits.
Dilone-Florian said the strike is ultimately aimed at ensuring that Montefiore staff can provide top-quality service.
“We want to make sure that the care that other people get around the city, that Bronx patients receive that same care,” she said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
