National Nurses United

LOUISIANA N urses at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) held a one-day strike on May 1, May Day. It was their third strike as they continue to fight for a first union contract with LCMC Health. The nurses at UMCNO, who are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), said that workplace violence is the key issue of this strike. "We want to settle a strong contract that addresses our concerns about workplace violence," said Dana Judkins, RN in the trauma intensive care unit at UMCNO. "We need to do so for the sake of our patients, our hospital, and ourselves. It's past time to work with nurses to protect everyone at UMC." "LCMC's stalling is not helpful," said Kisha Montes, RN in the behavioral health unit. "People shouldn't be afraid of being attacked when they come to work. But the way management runs our hospital, it's clear that they want us to act like it's normal. We can't accept that." UMC nurses voted to join NNOC/NNU in December 2023, making them the first private-sector hospital in Louisiana with a nurses union. They began bargaining their first union contract in March 2024, over a year ago. They struck first in October 2024 and again in February 2025, both strikes demonstrating the nurses' commitment to their fight and the broad community sup- port they've received throughout it. NNOC represents more than 600 nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans. —Lucy Diavolo New Orleans nurses strike again UMCNO RNs continue fight for a first contract A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 5 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7 ILLINOIS R egistered nurses at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial --Hospital in Harvey, Ill. voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratify- ing a new four-year contract on April 7, win- ning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). Ingalls RNs have been fighting for a strong contract since December 2024. "With this new contract that benefits new and veteran nurses, we are building a new future at Ingalls," said Katie Uzoras, RN in the telemetry unit. "This contract will benefit our community, our patients, and nurses' safety." Highlights of the contract include: • Safe staffing provisions, including increases in the number of specialized resource and rapid response nurses and additional staff on units to allow coverage while nurses take meals and breaks • Technology protections, including against the expansion of artificial intelli- gence in the nursing field • Recruitment and retention measures, including economic gains and additional benefit provisions, notably an average increase of 24 percent over the life of the agreement and expansions of paid time off • No contract takeaways "We're not done yet," said Kelly Flavin, RN in the rehabilitation unit. "There's more work to do and we are now better equipped to advocate for ourselves and our patients." The new contract covers the period from April 7, 2025 to April 7, 2029. NNOC repre- sents more than 380 nurses at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital. —Staff report UChicago Ingalls RNs win strong contract

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