Steven Raga joins nurses on picket line, calls for good-faith bargaining

NEW YORK CITY - More than 1,000 Filipino nurses are among nearly 15,000 private hospital nurses who walked out of their jobs this week in what unions describe as the largest private hospital strike in New York City history.

The strike affects nurses from ten hospitals under three major healthcare systems Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian after contract negotiations reached a deadlock. Nurses are demanding higher compensation, improved healthcare benefits, safer staffing levels, and stronger workplace safety protections.

Union leaders and frontline nurses say chronic understaffing has persisted for years, placing both patients and healthcare workers at risk. They argue that despite repeated warnings, hospital management failed to adequately address unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios, prompting workers to take collective action.

Filipino nurses, who make up a significant portion of New York City’s healthcare workforce, are highly visible on the picket lines. Many say their decision to strike was driven not only by wages but by concerns over patient safety, burnout, and the physical and emotional toll of working in understaffed hospitals.

State Assemblymember Steven Raga joined nurses on the picket line outside Mount Sinai Hospital, where he expressed strong support for the striking workers and criticized hospital executives for failing to negotiate in good faith.

“Three years later, the fight hasn’t changed. Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and NewYork-Presbyterian must bargain in good faith. Until then, we stand in full solidarity with nearly 15,000 nurses fighting for patient safety, fair staffing, and dignity on the job,” Raga said.

Nurses say unsafe conditions inside hospitals have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, with many units operating short-staffed even during peak patient volumes.

Several nurses reported being forced to care for more patients than recommended, increasing the risk of medical errors and workplace injuries.

The New York State Nurses Association, which represents the striking workers, maintains that hospitals have the financial capacity to meet nurses’ demands but have instead prioritized executive compensation and expansion projects over frontline staffing.

Hospital management has said contingency plans are in place to maintain operations, but nurses argue that temporary replacements cannot match the experience and training of regular staff, potentially compromising patient care.

Negotiations between hospital systems and the New York State Nurses Association are expected to continue as the strike enters its next phase, though no agreement has yet been announced. Nurses say they will remain on the picket lines until meaningful progress is made at the bargaining table.