Newly unionized nurses at University Medical Center announced Monday (Oct. 14) that they will hold a one-day strike on Oct. 25 after seven months of negotiations with their employer, LCMC Health, which have thus far not produced a collective bargaining agreement.
The nurses’ union, which is a part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, claimed stalling by LCMC is to blame for the slow pace of negotiations. And in a press release, the union, which represents nearly 600 nurses, said hospital management has not fully engaged with nurses’ concerns over workplace safety.
Nurses are legally required to give their employers at least 10 days notice before striking. During that period, hospital administrators can choose to continue contract negotiations or make arrangements to hire extra staff so the hospital can continue to operate during a strike.
In a press release sent to Verite News on Monday (Oct. 14), UMC Health President and Chief Executive Officer John Nickens said that the hospital will be fully operational on Oct. 25 and unaffected by the strike.
“The decision by union leaders to strike is not surprising given recent events but is nonetheless a significant disappointment,” Nickens said.
The Times-Picayune reported that labor costs for hiring contract nurses to stand in for the ones on strike could reach up to $6 million.
UMC nurses held two protests this year to address their concerns over workplace safety, staffing shortages, quality of patient care and worker compensation. They are asking LCMC to create a violence prevention program that covers the entire facility, guarantee legal protections for those who report unsafe conditions and take steps to improve employee recruitment and retention.
They said that the hospital’s management hasn’t meaningfully responded to most of the demands, instead delaying bargaining sessions.
Nurse Lauren Waddell, who is on the bargaining team, said in July that workplace violence — including intimidation and physical violence from patients — is a daily occurrence at her job. She said she was verbally threatened by a patient last year, who said they would wait for her in the parking lot after her shift, after she refused to prescribe a narcotic.
“It can definitely make you wary about going into work every day,” she said.
Nurses say that situations like Waddel’s create unsafe working conditions and lead to staffing shortages, which can negatively affect patient care. A 2021 analysis of more than 400 hospitals by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found a correlation between nurse burnout and low patient satisfaction.
Bargaining team member and UMC nurse Hailey Dupré said in the press release announcing the strike that hospital management is responsible for treating patients unfairly.
“UMC’s berating and belittling behavior at the bargaining table shows their lack of commitment to reach an agreement that puts patients first,” Dupré said. “We are committed to advocating for our patients at the bedside, and at the bargaining table. When we step out on the strike line, we are taking that advocacy to the next level because we are determined to honor our patients’ needs and our professional duty.”
This story is developing and will be updated.
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