Nearly 15,000 nurses stopped work on Monday at 10 major New York City private hospitals, including NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore in the Bronx, and Mount Sinai’s main campus in Manhattan. This massive strike highlights serious staffing shortages and safety concerns. The nurses say they are forced to care for too many patients, risking their safety and that of patients. They also want better protection from violence at work. The New York State Nurses Association said, "The strike is necessary to force hospitals to ensure minimum staffing ratios so that nurses aren’t overwhelmed." The strike follows stalled talks about staffing levels, wages, healthcare benefits, and workplace safety. Hospitals warn the union's demands could increase nursing costs by 74% over three years, costing $1.6 billion. Nurses recalled a similar 7,000-strong strike three years ago, which ended with promises to hire more staff and enforce ratios. But now, they say hospitals want to weaken those rules. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, new to office, joined nurses on the picket line. “The nurses are not asking for a multi-million dollar salary,” he said. “What they are asking for is for their pensions to be safeguarded, to be protected in their own workplace, and to receive the pay and health benefits that they deserve.” The mayor urged quick negotiations to avoid more disruption in the health system. New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency last week. Her order lets hospitals bring in out-of-state and foreign medical staff to cover for striking nurses until February 8. She warned the strike could harm public health by disrupting care. The state’s Department of Health said hospitals not affected by the strike should get ready to accept transferred patients. Facilities with nurses on strike may move patients even without consent if needed. The healthcare sector in NYC now faces a tough challenge as nurses fight for better working conditions.