Nurses at Joliet’s Ascension Saint Joseph Medical center have given the mandatory 10-day notice to go out on an Unfair Labor Practices strike the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Late last month the nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet took an unprecedented action in the history of their union. Nurses voted on whether to authorize their bargaining committee to call for as many strikes as it would take to secure a contract, defend their rights under the National Labor Relations Act and combat regular violations of the Union contract. The vote passed by a landslide with 81% of voting yes. Today they officially announced the first of this potential series of strikes will take place Tuesday (11-21) and Wednesday (11-22).
The strike will be over the recent unfair labor practices of the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith. Nurses at Joliet’s only hospital were locked out of the hospital for four days this past summer after their contract expired and nurses called for a two-day strike. Since returning to the negotiating table, the nurses say they have made significant concessions to try to get a deal done. The response from lawyers representing Ascension has been minimal and on conditions that the majority of bargaining unit members say they simply can’t accept.
“I know I could make more money somewhere else because half my coworkers have left in the past year and are now making more.” nurse Beth Corsetti said. “And since they won’t pay enough to bring people in, I am doing those former coworkers’ jobs on top of my own.”
In recent months understaffing has led to record numbers of patient falls and the hospital has had multiple investigation visits by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Nurses continue to complain of missing money from paychecks and intimidation by management.
Nurses say the strike in August showed that they are united, and the Joliet community stands with them. They are preparing for another potential lock out and pinching pennies to weather the loss of pay right before the holidays. The hope is that additional strikes won’t be necessary, but the union members are preparing for a long fight.