NEW YORK, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- About 15,000 nurses went on strike in New York City on Monday after their union and hospitals failed to reach a breakthrough in contract negotiations, marking the largest nursing strike in the city's history.
Large groups of nurses in red knitted hats gathered outside Mount Sinai Hospital and New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, chanting slogans and carrying signs that read "Nurses Deserve Good," "Stop Silencing Nurses," "Fair Contract," and "Safe Nurses, Safe Patients."
The New York State Nurses Association said nurses from five major privately-run hospitals walked off the job, accusing their hospitals of refusing to "settle fair contracts that include enforceable safe staffing ratios, guaranteed healthcare benefits for frontline nurses, and protections from workplace violence."
"Hospital management refuses to address our most important issues -- patient and nurse safety," Nancy Hagans, head of the association, said in a statement Monday.
The union said that nurses are under pressure of unbearable workloads, demanding better security measures in the workplace, as well as limitations on the use of artificial intelligence in hospitals.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined protesters outside a Manhattan hospital to show support for the striking nurses. He urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that "both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open."
"Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable," he said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday, ahead of the strike, as it comes amid a severe flu season and could disrupt hospital operations.
The hospitals involved have hired temporary nurses in an attempt to fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would "do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions."
Montefiore Einstein Hospital, one of the involved hospitals in Bronx, said in a message that it was preparing for the strike to last several weeks, assuring patients that appointments would be kept. ■