As the ongoing nurses’ strike in New York moves into its second week, thousands of healthcare workers continue to gather daily in freezing temperatures, holding picket lines and marching through city streets to demand changes they say are long overdue.
Roughly 15,000 nurses across the city have participated in the walkout, which includes staff from major hospital systems such as NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, and Montefiore. The strike centers on demands for higher wages, increased staffing levels to safely manage patient care, fully funded benefits, and stronger workplace protections against violence.
They Have Hit Breaking Point
According to nurses involved in the demonstrations, the current conditions inside hospitals have become increasingly difficult to sustain, with many saying that chronic understaffing and burnout have pushed them to a breaking point. To make their demands known, nurses have continued to show up day after day.
Just recently, a small group of nurses believed to be from NewYork-Presbyterian decided to take their protest directly to management — after both parties failed to reach an agreement last week — by holding a picket line in front of a building associated with leadership. While the NICU nurse who recorded the video referred to the location as the CEO’s building, the property appears to be a Cornell-affiliated housing building connected to NewYork-Presbyterian, which is currently led by CEO Steven J. Corwin at the system level. The building is known to provide institutional housing for hospital staff and affiliates, rather than serving as a private residence.
In the footage that was later posted to TikTok, nurses can be seen chanting, holding signs, and standing strong together as traffic passes by. Even a large pink pig mascot that was difficult to miss among the sea of red and black coats can also be seen holding a sign that read, “CEOs are profit pigs.”
In fact, while on the subject of signs, nurses have been very creative in raising awareness of their demands while also throwing jabs at hospital leadership. Some of the signs read, “Support nurses — if we’re not safe, you’re not safe,” “They get millions, we get pizza,” and “Found a vaccine for coronavirus. Now what do we do about Hospital Greed Virus?”
People’s Reactions to the Nurses’ Protest
The nurses’ march has drawn a lot of support from those who are in the field and other walks of life outside of healthcare. In the comments section under the TikTok post, people were urging them to remain strong in their goal. “I love this!!! Nurses go through so much they need raises and everything else in btw,” one person wrote. “This is iconic. Social worker in solidarity with our striking RNs!!!!!!!!” another commented.
“So sorry y’all are going through this,” a third added, while a fourth said, “Sending you warmth and strength ❤️👏.” Several viewers also shared personal stories, with one writing, “The most caring front line people are the nurses!! I will never forget the kindness of 2 nurses during my covid hospitalization!! Wherever life takes you I hope the Lord protects and prospers you!!”
A few, however, raised concerns about the protest location. One commenter pointed out that the building is not a private luxury residence, writing that it serves as subsidized housing for hospital staff, including nurses, doctors, and pharmacy workers. “It’s like you’re protesting outside your own colleagues’ home,” the person said. Another netizen also warned, “There will be plenty of layoffs if not retaliation after this. It has already started actually 🙏.”
