University of Illinois nurses authorize strike at UI Health on Chicago's Near West Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nurses at UI Health are prepared to go on strike, over concerns about staffing and safety at the Near West Side hospital.
More than 1,300 University of Illinois nurses cast ballots last week, with nearly 98% voting to authorize a strike, amid a stalemate with management at the bargaining table.
The nurses' union, the Illinois Nurses Association, said they've seen a large rise in assaults on staff in the last four years. They are demanding safer working conditions, increased staffing, and higher pay.
The union said they have offered a number of proposals in an effort to reach an agreement on a new contract, but management has responded to only a handful, and most of them have been rejected.
"I've been at this hospital for 20 years and this my 4th time at the negotiating table and I have
never seen this level of pigheadedness from UIH management," said neurosurgical ICU nurse Eileen Fajardo-Furlin, said. "We are pushing for improvements that benefit not just those of us who work here, but also for those who seek care at UI Health. One would think we should be received with open arms. But instead we are being treated like the enemy."
A spokesperson for UI Health said management hopes nurses won't go on strike, but the hospital will take all necessary steps to prepare for a potential work stoppage.
"We are still in contract negotiations with the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) and are committed to continuing our work to reach a mutually acceptable agreement," UI Health spokeswoman Francesca Sacco said in a statement. "We value and respect all our essential workers and the critical roles they play in providing vital care for our community."
The union has yet to set a strike date, or to announce how long a strike might last.
More than 800 of the approximately 1,400 nurses who work at University of Illinois Hospital and its clinics went on strike for seven days in September 2020 over a contract dispute. All of the nurses had planned on joining the strike, but a judge ordered more than 500 who work in critical care units could not walk off the job, because it would present a danger to the public.
Days after that strike ended, and following months of contract negotiations, they reached a deal on a four-year contract that expires Aug. 19.
