Nurses at University Medical Center in New Orleans are escalating their labor dispute with LCMC Health as they prepare to strike for the third time in a span of just one year. According to NOLA.com, the strike is set to occur on May 1, amidst ongoing negotiations over a first union contract. The strike is a continuation of prior actions from October 2024 and February 2025, which raised issues such as staffing, pay, and workplace safety.
This subsequent strike comes as the National Nurses United-backed nurses allege that the hospital has engaged in stalling tactics during bargaining sessions. "Patients would benefit from a contract that improves the hospital," bargaining committee member Heidi Tujague, an emergency department nurse, told WWLTV. Despite these tensions, UMC CEO John Nickens assured that there will be "no disruptions to operations" during the planned 24-hour demonstration, implying that contract nurses from other hospitals within the system are prepared to step in.
The decision to strike appears to have been partly triggered by the cancellation of a scheduled negotiation meeting by UMC. Registered Nurse Terry Mogilles expressed exasperation with UMC's expenditure on influences external to the bargaining table and implored the hospital system to "sit at the damn table," in a statement obtained by FOX8Live. In response, UMC stated its dedication to the collective bargaining process and aims to achieve a fair contract.
Meanwhile, issues about pay, particularly at the region's only Level 1 trauma center, remain a point of contention. Nickens noted that the hospital had requested a market pay analysis but claimed that the union had failed to provide necessary data. This pay concern is believed by many to be a core reason behind the strike notice delivered by the union on Monday.
