New Orleans nurses vote to authorize second strike at University Medical CenterUMC nurses say management has stalled bargaining on first contract

UMC nurses say management has stalled bargaining on first contract

Nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans, La., have voted to authorize a two-day strike. If officially called, this would be the second strike by UMC nurses amid ongoing negotiations for a first union contract with their employer. UMC nurses are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the nation's largest union of nurses.

Nurses say contract negotiations have been stonewalled by union-busting stall tactics from management, underscoring challenges created by a lack of preparedness and unsafe staffing during the recent, tragic mass casualty event in New Orleans. Nurses had previously proposed contract language to improve preparedness and care in emergency situations such as this, but say management has blocked progress on that and several other key proposals.

"Management only seems to want to stall progress on our contract, but our patients can't wait," said Shonda Franklin, RN in the float pool and a member of the bargaining team. "As we've seen recently, we need UMC to be at its best every single day for the people of New Orleans. That's what we're fighting for, and we will keep fighting for a strong contract that makes UMC a better place to get care and a better place to work."

"Working through a tragedy like the New Year's attack puts our entire fight into perspective," said Dana Judkins, RN in the trauma intensive care unit and a bargaining team member. "We're fighting for every patient who comes through our hospital's doors, just like we work to take care of every one of them. Unfortunately, it seems like management is only interested in fighting us, not working with us to make UMC the best it can be."

Nurses authorized the strike in a vote conducted on Jan. 22 and 23. The result authorizes nurses on the hospital's bargaining council to call a two-day strike with customary advance notice to management.

UMC nurses voted to join NNOC/NNU in December 2023, began bargaining their first contract in March 2024, and held their first strike in October 2024, making New Orleans and Louisiana history along the way. NNOC/NNU represents nearly 600 nurses at UMC.

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