More than 1,000 nurses at UI Health on the Near West Side went on strike Monday for safety, staffing and better pay as the Democratic National Convention began just blocks away at the United Center.
UI Health is one of the busiest hospitals in the city and probably one of the most important hospitals where people would seek medical help should they become ill or injured during the conference. The hospital is currently staffed by temporary nurses.
A Cook County judge ruled last week that some critical care nurses, such as those who treat patients in intensive care units or delivery rooms, will be required to work. But the majority of nurses at the hospitals and clinics could go on strike for up to a week if they do not reach an agreement with UI Health administration, said Sarah Hurd, an organizer with the Illinois Nurses Association, the union that represents the nurses.
“The University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics, the only public hospital in Illinois, is committed to providing high-quality clinical care to the residents of Illinois,” UI Health said in a recent statement ahead of the strike. “Should a work stoppage occur, we are prepared to continue safe patient care and ongoing operations.”
There was no immediate comment from company spokespeople on the start of the strike.
The nurses has recently gone on strike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their four-year contract has just ended. This time, they are fighting for better protection against violent patients, for example more security on certain wards of the hospital. The nurses also want a cap on the number of patients they can care for, depending on how sick they are.
“We’re seeing across the health care system that patients coming into the hospital are getting sicker and sicker, and nurses are being expected to take on more patients,” Hurd says. Nurses argue that these patients aren’t receiving the same level of care.
In addition, the nurses wanted to be paid better and get closer to the salary of nurses at other major hospitals in Chicago.
UI Health is a huge system This includes the hospital and dozens of outpatient clinics, and treats predominantly black and Latino patients. More than 40 percent of patients are low earners according to government health data.
