New York City’s largest nursing strike in decades stretched into a fourth day Thursday, with little sign of a breakthrough as hospital systems and union leaders dug in for what both sides now appear to expect could be a long fight.

Roughly 15,000 nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association walked off the job Monday at hospitals run by Mount Sinai Health System, Montefiore Health System and NewYork-Presbyterian. While other private hospital networks reached tentative agreements and avoided walkouts, the three systems at the center of the dispute remain locked in a standoff.

Negotiations have been largely frozen since the strike began. NewYork-Presbyterian said it plans to meet with union representatives Thursday evening, but the other systems have not announced talks. In the meantime, nurses rallied outside a Bronx hospital, accusing administrators of misrepresenting their demands on staffing, safety and health benefits.

Hospitals say they are prepared to sustain operations, committing to keep thousands of temporary nurses on staff through at least next week. Executives argue the union’s salary proposals are unaffordable, claiming they would push average nurse pay well above $200,000 within three years.

Union leaders counter that overcrowded emergency rooms, rising workplace violence and unenforced staffing ratios — negotiated after the last strike in 2023 — are driving the walkout.

City officials have so far reported no major disruptions to patient care, though hospitals have canceled elective procedures and streamlined services as the strike collides with peak flu season.

With talks stalled and both sides bracing for a protracted battle, the strike is fast becoming a defining labor fight for New York’s healthcare system in 2026.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)