On January 12, 2025, roughly 10,500 nurses at Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospitals walked off the job.
For 4 weeks, they didn't work. They didn't get paid. They stood on picket lines in the freezing cold, fighting for better pay, safer staffing, and basic respect.
On February 9, the strike ended. The union announced a "historic" tentative agreement. Headlines celebrated. Social media cheered.
12% raise over 3 years.
I kept seeing that number everywhere. So I pulled the actual contract. I ran the numbers. I factored in the lost wages. I adjusted for inflation.
The results aren't what you'd expect.
What the Nurses Won (On Paper)
According to the New York State Nurses Association, the new contract includes enforceable safe staffing standards, protection of health benefits that hospitals wanted to cut, workplace violence protections, safeguards against artificial intelligence, protections for immigrant and trans patients and nurses, and a 12% salary increase over 3 years.
These are real wins. Safe staffing language that's actually enforceable matters. Workplace violence protections matter—especially after a gunman showed up outside one of the emergency departments just two months before the strike.
But the headline everyone's celebrating is the money.
So let's talk about the money.
The Salary Breakdown
I pulled the actual contract data from Mount Sinai. This isn't speculation. These are the real numbers.
Experience Level | 2025 Annual Salary |
|---|---|
New Grad + BSN | $123,330.84 |
10 Years + BSN | $136,730.84 |
20 Years + BSN | $148,130.84 |
41+ Years + BSN | $155,830.84 |
With a 12% raise over 3 years (roughly 4% per year), here's what their salaries look like going forward:
Year | New Grad + BSN | 10 Years + BSN | 20 Years + BSN | 41+ Years + BSN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | $123,330.84 | $136,730.84 | $148,130.84 | $155,830.84 |
2026 | $128,264.07 | $142,200.07 | $154,056.07 | $162,064.07 |
2027 | $133,394.64 | $147,888.08 | $160,218.32 | $168,546.64 |
2028 | $138,730.42 | $153,803.60 | $166,627.05 | $175,288.50 |
On paper, that looks solid. A new grad goes from $123K to nearly $139K in three years. A 20-year veteran crosses $166K.
But here's what nobody's talking about.
They Didn't Get Paid for 4 Weeks
The strike lasted from January 12 to February 9. That's 4 weeks of zero income.
Let me put that in real numbers:
Experience Level | Weekly Pay | 4 Weeks Lost |
|---|---|---|
New Grad + BSN | $2,371.74 | $9,486.96 |
10 Years + BSN | $2,629.44 | $10,517.76 |
20 Years + BSN | $2,848.67 | $11,394.68 |
41+ Years + BSN | $2,996.75 | $11,987.00 |
That's money they'll never get back. Rent was still due. Car payments didn't pause. Groceries still cost money. Daycare didn't care that mom or dad was on strike.
For 4 weeks, these nurses had zero income while fighting for a raise that was supposed to change their lives.
Now Let's Talk About Inflation
Here's where it gets worse.
A 4% raise sounds good until you realize inflation is running at about 3.5% per year. That means your money is losing value while you're getting a raise.
To maintain the same purchasing power—to be able to buy the same groceries, pay the same rent, live the same life—your salary needs to grow at least as fast as inflation.
Let me show you what this looks like for a new grad nurse:
Year | What They Need (Inflation) | What They're Getting | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | $123,330.84 | $123,330.84 | $0 |
2026 | $127,647.42 | $128,264.07 | +$616.65 |
2027 | $132,115.08 | $133,394.64 | +$1,279.56 |
2028 | $136,739.11 | $138,730.42 | +$1,991.31 |
Over 3 years, that's a real gain of $3,887.52 above inflation.
Sounds okay, right?
Except they lost $9,486.96 during the strike.
The Real Math
Let me lay this out as simply as I can:
Experience Level | Real Gain Over Inflation | Lost Wages | Net Position |
|---|---|---|---|
New Grad + BSN | +$3,887.52 | −$9,486.96 | −$5,599.44 |
10 Years + BSN | +$4,310.22 | −$10,517.76 | −$6,207.54 |
20 Years + BSN | +$4,669.25 | −$11,394.68 | −$6,725.43 |
41+ Years + BSN | +$4,911.96 | −$11,987.00 | −$7,075.04 |
Read that again.
Every single nurse is in the negative.
They didn't gain money. They lost it.
When Do They Break Even?
If the raises continue at 4% and inflation stays around 3.5%, nurses gain about $1,300–$1,600 per year in real purchasing power.
At that rate:
Experience Level | Net Loss | Years to Break Even | Break Even Year |
|---|---|---|---|
New Grad + BSN | −$5,599.44 | ~4 years | 2029 |
10 Years + BSN | −$6,207.54 | ~4 years | 2029 |
20 Years + BSN | −$6,725.43 | ~4 years | 2029 |
41+ Years + BSN | −$7,075.04 | ~5 years | 2030 |
They went on strike in January 2025. They won't be made whole until 4–5 years later.
What Does This Actually Mean for a Nurse's Life?
Let me put this in real-life terms.
A new grad nurse at Mount Sinai is $5,599 behind where they would've been if they never went on strike and just got cost-of-living adjustments.
What $5,599 Buys in NYC | |
|---|---|
Rent (crappy apartment) | ~2 months |
Daycare | ~1 semester |
Car payments | ~6 months |
Groceries (single person) | ~1 year |
MetroCard refills | ~2 years |
They gave up 4 weeks of income. They stood in the cold. They fought. They sacrificed.
And financially, they're worse off than when they started.
For Comparison: What California Nurses Make
I live in Sacramento. My wife Monica and I are both nurses. We moved here from New York City years ago because we couldn't afford to stay.
Here's what nursing looks like in California:
NYC (Mount Sinai) | California (Kaiser) | |
|---|---|---|
New Grad Hourly Rate | ~$59/hr | ~$86/hr |
New Grad Annual Salary | $123,330 | $178,880 |
Nurse-to-Patient Ratios | Not enforceable | Legally mandated |
Overtime After 8 Hours | No | Time-and-a-half |
Overtime After 12 Hours | No | Double-time |
Cost of Living vs NYC | Baseline | 37% lower (Sacramento) |
A new grad in Sacramento makes more than a 41-year veteran at Mount Sinai.
And they didn't have to strike for 4 weeks to get it.
So What Did the Nurses Actually Win?
Look, I don't want to take away from what these nurses accomplished. They stood up. 97% voted to strike. They held the line for 4 weeks. That takes guts.
And they did win things that matter:
Victory | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Enforceable safe staffing ratios | Not just words on paper—language that lets them hold management accountable |
Workplace violence protections | Metal detectors, bag checks, real safety measures after a patient was killed in Brooklyn and a gunman showed up at the ED |
Healthcare benefits protected | Hospitals wanted to gut their benefits and the nurses stopped it |
AI safeguards | First-ever contract language protecting nurses from being replaced by artificial intelligence |
Protections for immigrant and trans patients and nurses | Standing up for their community |
These aren't nothing. These are real victories that will make their jobs safer and their patients' care better.
But the "12% raise"?
That's a headline. It's not a win.
The Bottom Line
The hospitals didn't lose. The CEOs still made their $25 million. Mount Sinai's representative went on the New York Times and lied about nurse salaries, claiming they make $166,000 on average and could make $262,000 with this contract.
That's not true. I looked up the contract myself. It's public. Anyone can see the real numbers.
The nurses lost 4 weeks of pay to secure a raise that won't make them whole for another 4–5 years. After inflation, they're walking away with nothing extra in their pockets. They're actually behind.
I'm proud of these nurses for fighting. I'm proud they stood together. I'm proud they won protections that will save lives.
But let's be honest about what happened here.
They didn't win a raise. They fought to survive.
And until nurses across the country start demanding California-level wages, California-level ratios, and California-level respect, this cycle is going to keep repeating.
The hospitals will keep lying. The CEOs will keep cashing checks. And nurses will keep sacrificing their paychecks just to not fall behind.
It doesn't have to be this way.
What do you think?
Was this strike worth it? Should nurses have held out longer? Are you considering moving to a state that pays better?
Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.
— Jason
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