NEW YORK (AP) — Nurses and two major hospital systems in New York City have reached a deal to end a nearly monthlong strike over staffing levels, workplace safety, health insurance and other issues.
The tentative agreement announced Monday by the nurses' union involves the Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems. Nurses remain on strike at NewYork-Presbyterian.
The walkout began Jan. 12, prompting the hospitals to scramble to hire legions of temporary nurses to fill in during a demanding flu season.
The three-year proposal affects roughly 10,500 of the some 15,000 nurses on strike at some of the city’s biggest private, nonprofit hospitals.
The union said nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospitals will vote to ratify their contracts starting Monday. If the tentative deals are ratified, nurses will return to work Saturday.
“For four weeks, nearly 15,000 NYSNA members held the line in the cold and in the snow for safe patient care,” Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association, said in a statement. “Now, nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai systems are heading back to the bedside with our heads held high.”
The nurses union said the tentative agreements call for a 12% pay raise over three years, as well as maintain nurses' health benefits with no additional out-of-pocket costs.
In addition, the proposed pacts include new protections against workplace violence, including specific protections for transgender and immigrant nurses and patients, as well as provisions addressing artificial intelligence in hospitals, the union said.
A Montefiore spokesperson declined to comment other than to confirm its nurses would be voting through Wednesday.
Brendan Carr, Mount Sinai's CEO, said in a note to hospital staff that it would take time for the system to “rebuild the momentum” after a “long and difficult” negotiation.
“I commit to you that we will heal the organization together in the service of continuing to help people to live longer and better lives,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, NewYork-Presbyterian said it agreed over the weekend to a proposal from mediators that includes pay raises, preserves nurses’ pensions, maintains their health benefits and increases staffing levels. The union responded that no deal has been reached and the strike remains in effect.
Jennifer Lynch was among the union members picketing in front of NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in Manhattan on Monday. She said staffing levels and job security were among the top sticking points in negotiations.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that other employers are willing to give fair contracts to their employees and ours has yet to do that,” she said.
Maria Tsoi, a NewYork-Presbyterian nurse, said her hospital treats as many as 300 patients in the emergency department at any given time -- far too many to handle at the current staffing levels.
“So what we’re asking is for more nurses,” Tsoi said. “That’s why we want the hospital to hire more nurses, so that we can better care for our patients.”
The affected hospitals have insisted their operations are running smoothly during the walkout, with organ transplants, cardiac surgeries and other complex procedures largely uninterrupted. Many of the medical centers, however, canceled scheduled surgeries, transferred some patients and discharged others ahead of the strike.
The striking nurses' priorities vary by hospital, but staffing has generally been a central issue. Nurses complained of being overworked, saying the hospitals held out for weeks on committing to more manageable patient loads. The union said Monday that the tentative agreements would increase staffing and otherwise address those concerns.
The union has also sought workplace security upgrades and restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence. Hospital staffers’ longstanding security concerns flared into public view when a gunman entered Mount Sinai in November and a man holed up in a Brooklyn hospital with a sharp object last month. Police killed both men.
The hospitals said the union’s demands were exorbitant. They say unionized nurses’ salaries already average $162,000 to $165,000 a year, not including benefits.
The nurses have countered that top hospital executives make millions of dollars a year.
Not every hospital in the three health care systems was affected by the strike, nor were any city-run public hospitals. Other private hospitals reached last-minute deals with the union.
Nurses staged a three-day strike in 2023 in the Mount Sinai and Montefiore systems. They ultimately inked contracts that, among other measures, raised pay 19% over three years.
Associated Press video journalists David R. Martin and Emily Wang Fujiyama contributed to this report.
Striking nurses walk a picket line outside NewYork Presbyterian Hospital in New York, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Striking nurses walk a picket line outside NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, in New York, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy delivered a dynamic finish to the Masters on Friday, looking every bit like someone who has done this before. Six birdies over the last seven holes gave him a 7-under 65 and a six-shot lead that set a Masters record through 36 holes.
The final hour of a fascinating day started to look like a victory lap.
McIlroy, who made three straight birdies early in his round, found himself locked in a duel with old nemesis Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion who birdied the par-3 12th to tie for the lead. McIlroy was coming off a few loose swings when he reached the heart of Amen Corner.
“Standing on the 12th tee, I didn’t imagine being six shots ahead,” McIlroy said.
Before long, he was all alone.
His tee shot over Rae's Creek on the dangerous 12th hole landed 7 feet behind the flag. He birdied both par 5s after having to lay up from the trees. He took advantage of the lower pin at the par-3 16th for what amounted to a tap-in birdie.
And then he really sent the gallery into a frenzy when he chipped in from 30 yards on the 17th. McIlroy couldn't see the hole over the crest of the hill on the green, but he knew it was good because “I could see everyone in the grandstand start to stand up.”
“That's a bonus,” he said.
And there was one more to go — another perfect approach that came down the slope to 6 feet for one last birdie.
That put him at 12-under 132, six shots clear of Reed (69) and Sam Burns (71). The previous record for the largest 36-hole lead at Augusta National was five shots by Jordan Spieth (2015), Raymond Floyd (1976), Jack Nicklaus (1975), Herman Keiser (1946) and Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper (1936).
All but Cooper went on to win.
If McIlroy holds on, he would become the fourth player to win back-to-back at the Masters, joining Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
He had a two-shot lead after 36 holes in 2011 and stretched it to four shots going into the final round before he famously imploded with an 80. That was the start of his Masters heartache that lasted until a year ago, when he triumphed in a playoff to finally prove he could win at Augusta National.
Maybe he should start thinking about next year’s menu for the Masters Club dinner.
“I know what can happen around here, good and bad,” McIlroy said with a smile. “You don't have to remind me not to get ahead of myself. There's a long way to go. I got off to an amazing start.”
Augusta allowed for that. It was warmer, brighter, drier. The wind wasn't quite as strong and the gusts didn't swirl as much. And there was much better scoring in part because of more generous pin positions, including on 16 and 18, where cleanly struck shots could feed toward the hole.
The scores were nearly two shots lower than Thursday.
That didn't help everyone, least of all Bryson DeChambeau. He fought back from an opening 76 and was one shot below the cut line when it took him two shots to get out of a greenside bunker on the 18th, the second shot rolling off the false front back down to the fairway. He made triple bogey and missed the cut.
Reed was bogey-free until failing to save par on the final hole. That also cost him a spot in the final group Saturday with McIlroy. They were paired together in the last group in 2018, with seemingly all of Augusta on McIlroy's side, only for Reed to win handily.
Burns birdied his last two holes to salvage a 71 and will be paired with McIlroy.
Justin Rose, the playoff loser to McIlroy a year ago, had a rough day with the putter and still shot 69 to be part of the group at 5-under 139 — now seven shots behind — along with Shane Lowry (69) and Tommy Fleetwood, who had two eagles in his round of 68.
Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, is now 12 shots behind. Scheffler twice hit into the water on the par 5s on the back nine, made bogey on both, and shot 74 for his first round over par at the Masters in three years.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks to green on the 11th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tommy Fleetwood, of England, waves after his putt on the 10th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Sam Burns watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Patrick Reed reacts after missing a putt on the 15th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, celebrates after a putt on the 16th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Jon Rahm, of Spain, watches his tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Bryson DeChambeau watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sam Burns hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
