The Nurses Strike in New York City and Public Health Implications

Complaints of staff shortages, spending cuts, and compromised working conditions in the nursing profession are not new. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of contagious infections have compounded the current strain on hospitals and other facilities. The three-day nurses’ strike in New York City last January was just one of many recent labor struggles in the healthcare sector. The increase in nursing strikes has raised concerns about the effects of work stoppages on patients, hospitals, and health systems. The nurses' strike of January 9-12 was one of many that occurred throughout the United States. NPHIC provides a recap of the strike here and its impacts on nursing and public health moving forward.