Chicago nurses prepare for one-day strike at Prime Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital
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Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago are preparing for a June 11 one-day strike over what they say were illegal firings of six nurses tied to union activity.
Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago are preparing for a one-day strike on June 11 as they protest what they describe as the administration’s illegal firing of six nurses in retaliation for union activity, according to National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.
The nurses are in the process of organizing a union represented by NNOC/NNU. They say Prime management unlawfully terminated experienced nurses and have filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board over the dismissals. The nurses say their goal is to strengthen patient advocacy and improve conditions at the hospital.
Picketing is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m., with a rally at 9 a.m. at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, 2233 W Division St. in Chicago, at the corner of W. Division St. and N. Oakley Blvd.
“We’re unionizing to have a voice at our hospital. Unfortunately, Prime seems eager to try to silence us,” said Maria Russ, an RN at Saint Mary’s. “That’s unacceptable. Nurses are patient advocates every day, and that means standing up when nurses are fired for unionizing, which we know will benefit us and our patients.”
Kyle Schutter, an RN in Saint Mary’s emergency department, said staffing levels are already a concern on many units. “We’re already short staffed on so many units,” Schutter said. “But when nurses try to get organized to demand better from management, we’re met with these illegal firings. Prime wants to crush our union now, but our strike is going to show them it’s already too late.”
According to the union, Saint Mary’s nurses filed for their certified union election with the NLRB on May 20 and held a public rally on May 27 to protest what they call retaliatory union busting by Prime management. The nurses also previously gave ten days’ notice of the strike after what the union described as an overwhelming show of support from nurses.
National Nurses United says it is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with more than 225,000 members nationwide. Its affiliates include the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.