Max Herman/NurPhoto via AP
Nurses at the University of Illinois Hospital rallying last month
Thousands of nurses and hospital workers around the U.S. are either participating in or have voted to authorize strikes, as they continue to push during the pandemic for adequate personal protective equipment, better wages, and safe staffing in hospitals.
At Sain (AHS) in California, over 1,000 nurses and more than 2,000 hospital staff voted overwhelmingly to strike after SEIU Local 1021 spent nine months bargaining with the hospital. Members claim that negotiations have been met with several rollbacks, including wage freezes for three years and cuts to benefits and patient care.
The union issued a ten-day unfair labor practice strike to management on September 26, with a five-day strike to begin on Wednesday, October 7. Around 325 nurses represented by the California Nurses Association at AHS are also participating in the strike, and about 800 nurses in San Joaquin County are also striking at the same time.
“Management is proposing all these takeaways and wasting our time during this pandemic when we should be back taking care of our patients,” said John Pearson, who has worked as a registered nurse at Highland Hospital for about six years and is president of the Highland Hospital chapter of SEIU Local 1021. “They’re saying they want to take away all of these things we care about and need to take care of patients and they won’t move at all and they’ve rejected our proposals, so we feel we have no other choice right now.”
Pearson claimed the hospital has rampant understaffing, yet management is proposing eliminating safe staffing metrics. He added that there are rampant issues with equipment and supply shortages.
There have been several outbreaks among nurses and other hospital workers throughout the pandemic.
Sheleka Carter, a sexual assault counselor at Highland Hospital for five years, says she is being laid off with two other counselors in her department as retaliation for speaking out during the pandemic about inadequate personal protective equipment for workers, cleaning supplies for environmental services, and staff shortages.
“There have been unsafe conditions, understaffing, mismanagement of funds through administration, and retaliation,” said Carter. “I’ve been an advocate for the victims and our staff to have proper PPE and safe working conditions to protect staff and patients.”
Alameda Health Systems did not respond to multiple requests for comment. On September 23, AHS announced they are retaining an outside negotiator to secure a labor contract with the union.
In Chicago, Illinois, more than 800 nurses represented by the Illinois Nurses Association went on strike September 12 for one week at the University of Illinois–Chicago hospital. Over 4,000 hospital and medical school workers represented by SEIU Local 73 joined them as contract negotiations broke down.
“The number one issue we’re fighting for, and it’s not unique to our hospital, that’s about staffing,” said Doris Carroll, president of the Illinois Nurses Association. She noted research has shown safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios are directly correlated with better patient outcomes, and the union is pushing for a staffing model based on patient needs. “We want the hospital to be at the forefront of changing the way of hospital staffing, and we think we have that model.”
On September 24, nurses and workers agreed on tentative contracts, which included the hospital pledging to hire 160 full-time nurses in the coming year.
"We are very pleased that we have been able to come to a tentative agreement and we are grateful that our nurses chose to return to work on September 19, following a seven-day strike. This is in the best interest of our patients and our UI Health family,” said University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics CEO Michael Zenn in a statement.
In Albany, New York, the New York Nurses Association, which represents around 2,000 nurses at Albany Medical Center, voted to authorize a strike on September 7 if contract negotiations continue to stall. Negotiations have yet to produce a contract since the union formed in April 2018.
“We believe we are willing to go on strike as a last resort if management does not settle this soon,” said Jennifer Bejo, a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Albany Medical for 14 years. She noted that during the pandemic, the hospital froze wages and cut hours, despite the ‘hero’ rhetoric in appreciation of frontline workers. “Right now nurses are getting burned out working through meal times and breaks,” Bejo said. “We are constantly putting our nurses and patients at risk in these working conditions with less support. Now more than ever we need a contract.”
A spokesperson for Albany Medical Center said the hospital continues to negotiate with the union in good faith and have managed to avoid layoffs and furloughs despite operating losses.
“While we are hopeful that we may avert a strike, we must agree to a contract that is fair to all our nurses and all our employees and keeps safety and quality patient care our top priorities,” they said.
Over 400 nurses at Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut voted to authorize a two-day strike on September 14 amid ongoing union contract negotiations, as the current contract expired on July 31. The union provided management a ten-day notice that the strike will begin on October 13.
“We’re not paid competitive wages or benefits. We make significantly less than every other hospital in a 20- to 30-mile radius,” said Sherri Dayton, a registered nurse in the ER department and president of the Backus Federation of Nurses.
Dayton explained that nurses at Backus Hospital regularly reuse N95 masks and don’t have access to rapid testing. There have been several outbreaks among nurses and other hospital workers throughout the pandemic. Dayton added that, even as hospital census numbers have mostly recovered since the start of the pandemic, there are consistent staffing shortages, with nurses mandated to work several hours past their shift due to no other nurses available to relieve them.
“Everyday we get text messages begging us to come in to help. Today, I’ve received two of them saying they’re short two nurses and that’s an everyday thing,” added Dayton. “For the last month they offered an incentive of an extra $50 if you worked an extra shift, but that ends the week of September 21, so short staffing will be more and there will be more mandated stays.”
A Backus Hospital spokesperson provided a statement from the hospital president, Donna Handley, who denied PPE shortages. “Our offer includes a significant increase in nurse wages and enhancements to other benefits, and we look forward to continuing negotiations in good faith,” Handley said. “We will take appropriate steps to ensure that access to care will continue without disruption for our patients and the community in the unfortunate event of a strike.”
