On day 11 of the nurses strike, there were new signs of movement in negotiations.

NewYork-Presbyterian confirmed it was back at the bargaining table with the nurses union, the New York State Nurses Association, on Thursday.

The nurses union says Montefiore and Mount Sinai also resumed negotiations, but those hospital systems have not confirmed that.

“All of us have mortgages, we have bills to pay, but we have to do what we have to do. You know, they have to respect us,” Mount Sinai nurse Oletha Campbell said.

On the picket line outside Mount Sinai, nurses said this strike has become a test of endurance and of what they call patient safety and basic benefits.

“It’s not even about the pay increase. It’s about health insurance. We work here. We’re exposed to so many different things. Blood splashes in our eyes, vomit. We need health insurance,” Mount Sinai nurse Opal Cross said.

Hospitals have argued the union’s demands are costly and unrealistic, while nurses say management is spending heavily on replacement staff during the strike.

“They’re willing to find money for the strike nurses, but they’re not willing to find money to fund our health insurance,” Mount Siani nurse Jemnette Morgan said.

And it’s happening as health insurance costs are rising across the country for workers, families and employers, making the fight over benefits an even sharper pressure point.

Outside Thursday’s bargaining session with NewYork-Presbyterian, nurse Victoria Stockdale says pressure is growing, but not fast enough.

“I think they have a little bit of pressure from Kathy Hochul and the mayor, Mamdani, however, it’s not enough,” Stockdale, a NewYork-Presbyterian nurse, said.

Mount Sinai nurses say they want to go back inside, but only with a contract they believe protects patients and staff.

“We would love to be back inside,” Mount Sinai nurse Andrea Telemaque said.