Chicago nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth vote 96% to join NNOC/NNU

Registered nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago voted overwhelmingly to join National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, according to a June 17 press release from the union. In an election held Wednesday, June 17, nurses voted 96% in favor of forming a union.

National Nurses United described the result as a major organizing win for nurses at the hospital, which is located in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. The union said the vote followed a historic strike last week in protest of what nurses called the illegal firings of six co-workers. Those nurses were reportedly terminated for union organizing, and the hospital’s owner, Prime Healthcare, was identified in the release as responsible for the retaliatory actions.

“Today is a great day to be a union nurse in Chicago,” said Anna Bilanicz, RN in the intensive care unit at the hospital. She said nurses were excited to join NNOC because they believe they will be able to win a contract that will benefit both patients and staff.

Chris Williams, RN on the 14th floor, said Prime Healthcare “thought they could scare us into silence,” but added that becoming part of the country’s largest nurses union would make the nurses’ voice stronger. Williams said the nurses are seeking a contract that ensures patients receive the care they deserve and avoids what the nurses described as shortcuts by Prime.

With the election victory, nurses said they will continue to press for the reinstatement of their co-workers and will seek good faith bargaining on a first union contract. The hospital’s nurses will now begin selecting members of their bargaining team before negotiations start on their first collective bargaining agreement with Prime Healthcare. The release said Saint Mary’s nurses are continuing to serve as an example to other Prime nurses who may be considering unionization.

National Nurses United said NNOC/NNU now represents nearly 500 nurses in the bargaining unit at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital. The union also said more than 3,000 health care workers in the Prime system nationwide are already represented by NNOC/NNU at hospitals across the country, including more than 1,800 who are in active contract negotiations.

National Nurses United described itself as the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with more than 225,000 members nationwide. The release also listed several NNU affiliates, including California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.