Union leaders say nurses across New York have voted to authorize a strike if hospitals don’t agree to a new contract in the coming days.

Nurses at 12 New York City hospitals voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes. Five of them are in Brooklyn – Maimonides, Interfaith Medical Center, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.

“Every patient in this city, regardless of their ZIP code, regardless of their immigration status, regardless of their sexual orientation, deserves VIP treatment,” said Nancy Hagans, president of New York State Nurses Association. “And that’s what we’re fighting for.”

Their five demands from the hospitals include fair wages, more staffing, protection from workplace violence and better medical coverage for both staff and patients.

“Nurses are the backbone of the hospital,” said Hagans. “When you go to the hospital, who is the first person you see? A nurse. Who's the last person that you see? It’s a nurse. We want to continue. During the height of the pandemic, the same hospitals, everybody was banging the pots and pans and calling us heroes. Now, the hospital CEOs are treating us like zeros.”

Another key point in negotiations — nurses want a voice in how AI is used for patient care. A tool they say hospitals sometimes use to cut corners.

“Every patient is an individual,” said one hospital visitor. “They have individual needs. And, you know, it's nothing to compare to the human touch and the comfort of someone providing service to you.”

If no agreement is reached by the end of the month, union leaders say nurses would give a formal strike notice—setting the stage for walkouts that could impact hospitals citywide.

“That's the last thing we want to do,” said Hagan. “It's up to management to come to the table and negotiate. We are ready to negotiate. We gave them our proposal. They are the ones stalling.”