With no contract in place, UMC nurses union plans third strike in one year on May Day

Source: NOLA

By EMILY WOODRUFF | Staff writer 12 hrs ago

Nurses at University Medical Center in New Orleans will strike for the third time on May 1 as negotiations over a first union contract with LCMC Health continue without resolution.

The nurses, represented by National Nurses United, previously held strikes in October 2024 and February of this year, each time citing concerns over staffing, pay, and workplace safety.

Nurses said the hospital system has “tried to stall” negotiations in an effort to “wait us out,” according to bargaining committee member Heidi Tujague, an emergency department nurse. Tujague said patients would benefit from a contract that improves the hospital.

UMC CEO John Nickens said that there will be “no disruptions to operations” during the strike. The hospital system is looking into using contract nurses from its other hospitals to fill in during the 24-hour gap.


University Medical Center nurses strike amid ongoing contract negotiations on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

BY DAVID GRUNFELD | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Read more: https://www.nola.com/news/healthcare_hospitals/umc-nurses-strike-three-contract-negotiations/article_476dddac-e127-42ff-8e16-1db1b52f9742.html