Nurses authorize strike at major NYC hospitals; will it happen next month?

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Nurses at some of the largest hospitals in the tri-state area, and in fact, the world, have authorized a strike that could happen as early as January.

The nurses' union says that the labor action may be necessary because hospitals have stretched nurses' ranks so thin that it's endangering patients' health and safety. The hospitals say that care won't be compromised if there is a strike, and that they're negotiating in good faith to prevent one from happening. 

Melissa Perleoni is a registered nurse at Mount Sinai and is one of 14,000 nurses citywide who have voted "yes" to strike.

"This is the only time the hospital will listen," she said, while outside of Mount Sinai.