University of Illinois Hospital nurses go on second strike since August
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For the second time this year, hundreds of nurses at University of Illinois Hospital have gone on strike, amid a months-long stalemate on a new contract.
The Illinois Nurses Association said nurses at UI Health authorized an open-ended strike last month, and walked off the job on Wednesday. They have not said when they will return to the job.
The nurses are demanding pay hikes, increased staffing levels, and improved security to protect them against violence on the job.
"We are willing to make significant sacrifices to win the contract we need," bargaining team member David Martucci said. "We see this as an investment in not only our own futures but in the future of this hospital. UI Health needs to be a place where nurses can come to work and feel secure, physically, emotionally and financially."
The union said they are frustrated that senior managers at the hospital will be getting pay raises as high as 20% over the next year, while offering raises of less than 3% a year to nurses in contract talks.
The Illinois Nurses Association represents more than 1,700 nurses at UI Health, but not all of those nurses can join the strike. A Cook County judge has issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting dozens of nurses per shift from going on strike. The University of Illinois Board of Trustees had argued that if all nurses at the hospital were allowed to go on strike, it would jeopardize the health of patients in the emergency department, intensive care units, and other specialized units.
Nurses at UI Health also went on strike for a week in August. Their union has accused the hospital of subjecting them to understaffing and unsafe working conditions. The union has said nurses have faced an increase in workplace violence in recent years.
UI Health officials have said the hospital values the critical role the nurses play, and hopes to reach agreements beneficial to both parties.
The two sides have been negotiating a new contract since June.
