After two-week strike, more than 700 nurses reach contract agreement with Joliet hospital
Nurses #Nurses
More than 700 nurses at a Joliet hospital will soon return to work after voting to approve a new contract Monday night, ending a strike that began more than two weeks ago.
The nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet went on strike July 4 after failing to reach a contract agreement with the hospital. The nurses, who are part of the Illinois Nurses Association, had been working without a contract since May 9 and had been in negotiations since February.
The nurses may return to work Wednesday, said Tim Nelson, a spokesman for Amita.
“We feel the agreement reached is fair and just for all involved and appreciate the ratification by the represented nurses,” Nelson said in a statement.
A main sticking point in the negotiations had included staffing levels the nurses said were unsafe, as well as issues related to pay and benefits, the union said. Amita has agreed as part of the contract to work to improve staffing, the nurses union said in a news release. Amita will cap health insurance premium contributions at 25% for full-time nurses and 35% for part-time nurses, and increase wages, the union said.
“While a majority of nurses voted for this contract, there are still many nurses who want to see more progress on safe staffing,” said Pat Meade, a nurse at the hospital and one of the lead union negotiators, in a news release. “We will continue the fight for safe staffing through enforcement of our contract and in Springfield.”
While the nurses were striking, the hospital contracted with an agency to provide temporary nurses and moved some patients to a sister hospital in Hinsdale.
The strike happened as hospitals across the country continued to deal with financial fallout from COVID-19, which required cancellations of elective surgeries and led to fewer non-COVID-19 patients.
Nurses at a number of U.S. hospitals have gone on strike in recent years, often citing staffing levels as a major concern.
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