Registered nurses at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital on Chicago's Northwest Side say their employer, Prime Healthcare, fired four nurse leaders just days after staff formally moved to unionize. The terminations sparked a brief but vocal rally outside the hospital's Division Street entrance on Wednesday morning.
Union Petition Filed With the NLRB
According to the National Labor Relations Board, registered nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth filed an RC petition on May 20 seeking to represent all full-time, regular part-time and eligible per-diem RNs at the hospital. The case lists Prime Healthcare as the employer and defines the unit as nurses at 2233 W. Division St., with roughly 400 employees eligible to be in the union. The petition remains open under case number 13-RC-387317.
Nurses Say Leaders Were Fired After Protected Activity
Nurse organizers and the National Nurses Organizing Committee say Prime terminated four nurses who had been visible in the organizing effort after the petition was filed, alleging the firings followed the distribution of flyers outside employee entrances. The union called a rally at the corner of West Division and North Oakley and demanded that the hospital reinstate the nurses and allow what they describe as a fair election, according to a press release from National Nurses United. "This is Chicago and we are a union town," emergency department RN Quishe' Branch said in a statement to the union. Crain's Chicago Business also reported on the firings and the union drive this week.
Part of a Citywide Wave
The campaign at Saint Mary is unfolding amid a broader push by nurses across Chicago this spring, with bedside staffing levels and patient-safety concerns fueling many efforts. Becker's Hospital Review highlighted several recent union wins and elections in the city, including a large vote at Rush University Medical Center in mid-May, as nurses seek contract language they say is needed to address workloads and retention problems.
Prime Healthcare, which operates Saint Mary of Nazareth, has also drawn public scrutiny at other Illinois facilities over staffing levels and service reductions. Coverage of Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet by CBS Chicago and union statements elsewhere have documented similar concerns.
What Happens Next
The NLRB docket shows the Saint Mary petition is active and could result in a union election or in additional unfair-labor-practice proceedings if charges are filed, according to the National Labor Relations Board. If the board concludes that the hospital unlawfully disciplined employees for engaging in protected activity, it can order remedies that include reinstatement and back pay.
Organizers say they intend to push for a quick vote and for the four terminated nurses to return to work, while the case moves through the board's process in the coming weeks.
