500 nurses at Chicago area hospital plan third strike since August
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hundreds of nurses at a hospital in Joliet could be walking off the job again next week.
The 500 union nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph in Joliet notified the hospital on Monday they plan to walk off the job for two days on Feb. 8 and 9.
The same nurses also went on strike twice last year – in August and November – amid a contract standoff with management.
The nurses said they're upset Ascension has implemented the terms of its "last, best and final" contract offer, which the union rejected in December, claiming it failed to deal with their concerns over staffing.
Management declared an impasse in contract talks after the union rejected its final offer on Dec. 22, and implemented those terms on Jan. 21.
"We can no longer delay paying our nurses a competitive wage and must be able to successfully recruit and hire nurses to support our care teams," the company said in a statement.
Earlier this month, a labor arbitrator ruled in favor of Ascension, saying management had taken the steps necessary to hire additional nurses after the union rejected their offer. Ascension claimed the union has not provided them with a counterproposal since rejecting that offer.
However, the Illinois Nurses Association has said it is willing to continue negotiations, and has requested additional bargaining dates.
The nurses also said they are striking over "mounting chaos and divestment at the hospital."
"Patients have reported flooding, infestations of cockroaches and ceilings caving in," the union said in a statement. "Nurses say the hospital's scheduling systems were not prepared for the implementation of new policies and there is uncertainty about expectations and pay."
