2025 Nurse Strikes: Complete List of Active, Upcoming, and Recent Strikes

Image: NJ.com

2024 saw a significant rise in nursing strikes, with more and more nurses utilizing their unionizations to fight for better pay and safer working conditions for both patients and staff. 

Here's where the nursing strikes are currently standing in 2024. 

The following is a list of current and pending nursing strikes, as well as pre-strike pickets and rallies:

Current, pending, and past strikes

Current Strikes:

None at this time.

Pending Strikes:

• UCSF: More than 4,000 patient care, research, and technical workers at UCSF have voted to authorize a strike, with 98% of University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union members in favor. The union, UPTE-CWA Local 9119, says the strike will be held on November 20 and 21. This decision follows ongoing concerns about workplace conditions and contract issues.
• Sharp Medical Center (San Diego, CA): Beginning on Friday, November 8, 2024 around 5,000 Sharp Healthcare workers approved a five-day strike after labor contract negotiations stalled, with 92% voting in favor. The union, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, cites short staffing and low pay as primary concerns. Strike dates have not been released.

Recent Pre-Strike Pickets and Rallies:

None at this time.

Past strikes, rallies, and pickets:

• Newton-Wellesley Hospital (MA) - December 2024: A tentative contract agreement was reached following an informational picket and strike authorization vote. Key provisions include a 15.5% wage increase with retroactive pay to April 2024, enhanced workplace violence policies with post-crisis support, and expanded bargaining rights for off-site ambulatory nurses and nurse practitioners. The agreement, effective through March 31, 2027, aims to improve recruitment, retention, and patient care quality.
• St. Joseph Medical Center (Tacoma, WA) - December 2024: A new contract was overwhelmingly approved that includes the highest wages for nurses in Pierce County, equal pay for international nurses based on experience, and robust workplace safety measures like weapon detectors and locked units. Staffing improvements include break nurses, a weekend-only shift, and fair call shift allocation. The agreement was reached after extensive negotiations and reflects significant progress in equity, safety, and working conditions.
• Lower Bucks Hospital (Bristol, PA) - December 2024: A new three-year labor contract with 83% support after 15 months of negotiations was approved. Key provisions include new nursing positions to improve staffing, protections against layoffs, and increased wages averaging 14% over three years, with additional pay based on experience. The agreement also enhances on-call pay, differentials, and holiday hours, aiming to address retention and recognize the contributions of frontline caregivers while prioritizing patient care.
• University of Illinois Health - November 2024:  The union, says they reached an agreement with the administration. The terms of the 4-year contract have not been disclosed.
• Maui Health, Kaiser - November 2024: Negotiations between UNHCEH and Maui Health, representing over 900 healthcare workers, stalled over proposed staffing ratios, leading the union to initiate a three-day strike on November 4, 2024. The strike affected Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital, and Lanai Community Hospital. UNHCEH seeks staffing ratios similar to those agreed upon by Kaiser Permanente in California, which Maui Health management has rejected.
• University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans held a one-day strike on October 25, 2024. This decision came after months of unsuccessful contract negotiations between the nurses' union and hospital management, with patient safety concerns at the forefront of the dispute. They were locked out of the hospital on October 26, 2024, and have not reached an agreement. 
• Hawaii Nurses’ Association (HNA): Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Honolulu, Hawaii - October 2024: After over a year of negotiations, a new three-year contract has been finalized. 
• Providence Joint Strike: Providence Medford, Providence Hood River, Providence Newberg, Providence Willamette Falls, Providence St. Vincent, and Providence Milwaukie, Oregon. Ended 
• Loretto Hospital (Chicago, IL)
• McLaren Lapeer Regional Hospital (Lapeer, MI)
• Providence Portland Medical Center (Portland, OR)
• Marin Health Medical Center (Greenbrae, CA)
• Mount Sinai Health, Montefiore Health System, and Wyckoff Hospital (New York, NY)
• National Nurses United (NNU) National Day of Action (nationwide)
• Ascension Seton Medical Center (Austin, TX)
• Kaiser Permanente  (California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and the Washington D.C.)
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, NJ)
• Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey (Marina del Rey, California)
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute-Merrimack Valley (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet (Joliet, Illinois)
• St. Catherine of Siena Hospital (Smithtown, New York)
• Sutter Center for Psychiatry (Sacramento, CA)
• MyMichigan Medical Center Sault (Sault Ste. Marie, MI)
• Sacred Heart Home Care Services (Springfield, OH)
• St. Joseph Hospital (St. Juliet, MI)
• University of Chicago Medicine (Chicago, IL)

Why are nurses striking?

Nurses go on strike for many systemic reasons including, but not limited to, inadequate pay, unsafe working conditions, and unsafe staffing ratios. Often, with the assistance of their union, nurses work to negotiate contracts with their employers. Oftentimes, nurses are able to negotiate a better contract without the need to go on strike. 

However, sometimes negotiations reach a standstill, with neither party reaching an agreement. When this happens, nurses protest by refusing to go to work until agreeable terms are met. 

In particular, safer nurse-to-patient staffing ratios have been at the forefront of concerns that have driven recent nursing strike authorizations across the country. 

According to the 2023 State of Nursing Report conducted by Nurse.org, 91% of nurses believe the nursing shortage is getting worse and that burnout, poor working conditions, and inadequate pay are the primary causes. In addition, 79% of nurses said their units are inadequately staffed and 71% said that improving staffing ratios would have the greatest impact on the nursing shortage. 

Nurses are becoming more vocal about these feelings and experiences and are choosing to take action through striking.

If you have any information on current, pending, or past strikes please email info@nurse.org.