Nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital in Joliet ratify new contract
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital in southwest suburban Joliet have approved a new contract their union spent more than a year negotiating with management.
The Illinois Nurses Association has said the deal would a lump sum payment for all 500 nurses at the hospital, and more paid time off for the most senior nurses. Nurses also would only be assigned to work outside of their specialty on a voluntary basis, assuring that nurses only work in their areas of expertise.
The two sides had been at the bargaining table for more than a year before reaching a tentative deal earlier this month. On Monday and Tuesday, the union's rank-and-file membership voted overwhelmingly to ratify the deal.
"Nurses ratified this contract because Ascension finally agreed to respect our right to turn down unsafe staffing assignments," said St. Joseph nurse Pat Meade. "We won some things that were vital to the functioning of this hospital but there is much more that needs to be improved and we will keep pushing for that."
The three-year deal was reached after nurses went on strike three times since August.
The union said they were only able to reach an agreement after threatening a fourth strike, in coordination with nurses at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Flint, Michigan