New Orleans nurse prepared for five-day strike against LCMC’s surface bargaining

UMCNO nurses to strike starting May 1

Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) in Louisiana are gearing up for their upcoming five-day strike starting May 1, 2026. Nurses announced their intent to strike after filing an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against LCMC Health and UMCNO management on April 20, charging the hospital's management has spent more than two years intentionally dragging out and frustrating negotiations through surface bargaining.

Union nurses recognize management is only going through the motions of bargaining in a sloppy and hackneyed attempt to stymie real attempts at agreeing to a contract. In response, nurses' upcoming strike will be a demonstration to management that UMCNO nurses will continue to fight for a historic union contract that improves patients care and working conditions at one of the most important hospitals in the city, state, and region.

Who: Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans
What: Five-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike against surface bargaining
When: Friday, May 1st, 7 a.m. to Wednesday, May 6, 6:59 a.m.; events listed by day below
Where: University Medical Center, 2000 Canal Street New Orleans, La.; at the corner of Canal St. and S. Galvez St.

Events:
Friday, May 1, 9 a.m.: Rally at the picket line outside UMCNO (Canal and Galvez) with speakers
Friday, May 1, 6:30 p.m.: Solidarity march on City Hall with Tulane Workers United
Saturday, May 2, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Kids' day on the picket line (with bubbles, balloon animals, face painting, and more)
Saturday, May 2, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Crawfish boil on the picket line

"UMCNO and LCMC aren't coming to the negotiating table in good faith," said Ory Mire, RN in case management at UMCNO. "We want a contract that allows us to provide the best care possible to the people of New Orleans, and that requires a strong and comprehensive contract. But LCMC is only going through the motions, making it apparent they aren't serious about getting a deal done."

"Our patients have waited for too long," said Shonda Franklin, RN in the UMCNO float pool. "And so have we. It's clear LCMC and UMCNO management don't want a deal, and that's why they're wasting time at the table refusing to work with us on the major changes that will make our hospital an even better place to get care and come to work."

UMCNO nurses have been in negotiations since March 2024 for a new contract with little to no indication that UMCNO and LCMC management intend to come to a settlement. Nurses urge management to engage in good faith bargaining and agree to a contract that addresses issues like recent findings that UMCNO has the longest emergency room wait times in the state.

Nurses give at least 10 days of advance notice to the hospital to allow for alternative plans to be made for patient care during a strike.

More than 600 UMCNO nurses who officially voted to unionize in December 2023 are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the country's largest and fastest growing nurses union.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.