National Nurses United

NEWS BRIEFS ILLINOIS I n may, registered nurses at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago voted overwhelmingly, with 77 percent in favor, of joining National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the nation's largest and fastest-growing regis- tered nurse union. The nurses filed their petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election on April 9. It was Chicago's largest filing on record for a union election in the health care sector, and one of the largest in any industry in the city. Nurses at Rush, which includes a 671-bed hospital, said they wanted to join NNOC/NNU because it is critical that nurses have a say in making deci- sions about patient care and nurse recruitment and retention, which leads to improved patient care. When Rush nurses filed for their election in April, Keeley Binion, an RN in medical obser- vation at Rush stated, "We are so excited to file for a union election. Nurses are essential to patient care. We want to ensure that manage- ment prioritizes staffing and retention so we can give our patients the best care possible." "As union members, we will be even stronger advocates for our patients," said Olivia Bouchard, RN on the labor and deliv- ery unit. "I hope we inspire RNs in hospitals across Chicago and around the country to organize. Safe staffing ratios help improve nurse retention, fostering a more supportive and responsive environment for patients." "We are proud to join a strong union for RNs in National Nurses Organizing Com- mittee that will give us the tools and resources to be powerful advocates for our patients," said Jennifer Pearl, RN in the medical-surgical unit's float pool. "We call on all nurses in Chicago to join us in our union and organize for safe staffing, nurse retention, and improved patient care." "We are excited to bargain for a strong contract that protects patients and nurses so we can provide the best care possible," said Regina Piper, RN in the antepartum/post- partum unit. "We want safe staffing. We want Rush to put patients before profits." NNOC now represents about 2,000 nurses at Rush University Medical Center, who will soon enter negotiations for their first collective bargaining agreement. They will join more than 7,000 RNs at nine Chicago facilities who are members of NNOC/NNU. —Chuleenan Svetvilas Union victory in Chicago Rush University Medical Center RNs form union NATIONAL A new report, released on June 2 by National Nurses United (NNU), found that three major Catholic hospital systems have spent the last decade leading the health care industry in closures of pediatric care units. Pediatric care is often reimbursed through Medicaid, whose payments Catholic hospital systems apparently do not consider high enough to generate the profit margin they want to keep a unit open. The shocking new report found that, over- all, 25 percent of pediatric units had been shut down nationally from 2014 to 2025. Among the country's 10 biggest hospital chains, three Catholic systems—Ascension, CommonSpirit, and Trinity—shuttered pediatric units at the highest rates of any major system. The new report, "Downsizing Mercy: Catholic Hospital Systems and the Crisis of Pediatric Unit Clo- sures," is available on NNU's website at NationalNursesUnited.org/Research. "Our union's new report is damning," said Sandy Reding, operating room nurse at Bak- ersfield Memorial Hospital in California, president of California Nurses Association/ National Nurses Organizing Committee, and vice president of NNU. "The data shows that these major Catholic systems are shutting down health care for kids in areas where chil- dren need it most, with high rates of poverty and few other options for care. They're making decisions based on their own spreadsheets, not the needs of our patients and our commu- nities. Catholic health leaders say they're united for change, but if the changes they're united behind are shutting down pediatric units, that's not the common good." CNA/NNOC, NNU's largest affiliate, rep- resents around 25,000 nurses at Catholic hospitals in the United States. "Pope Leo made clear in his recent encyclical: The best way forward is working together for the common good," said Kris- tine Kittleson, RN at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin in Texas. "Unfortu- nately, major Catholic hospital systems have abandoned the common good in favor of their own finances. And when nurses get organized to demand better, we're met with union-busting that stands in defiance of the church's own doctrines. —Lucy Diavolo NNU's report reveals Catholic hospitals lead nation in pediatric unit closures 8 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 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 J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6

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