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Nurses at UChicago Medicine authorize strike over patient safety concerns

By FOX 32 News
Published  February 20, 2024 3:33pm CST
Health
FOX 32 Chicago

UChicago nurses to vote on strike authorization

Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center have spent months at the bargaining table asking for a new contract with better pay, staffing, and hours. The union will vote on whether or not to authorize a strike Tuesday.

CHICAGO - Nurses at UChicago Medicine voted Tuesday to authorize a strike, citing patient safety concerns and chronic understaffing.

Last month, the nurses held an informational picket outside UChicago Medicine. They say management hasn't made significant movement since.

"Our patients depend on us to be alert and fast-acting and we cannot do that when we are exhausted. This has been an ongoing problem and each time we have tried to address these issues through our committees, there has been no enduring solution," said Amber Turi, an ICU nurse.

In a statement to FOX 32, the hospital network said: "The real work of reaching a contract can only be accomplished at the bargaining table, and UCMC is committed to continuing good-faith negotiations."

University of Chicago Medical Center responds to nurses strike vote

The University of Chicago Medical Center says they are committed to continuing negotiations in good faith. Nurses at the hospital are deciding whether to strike or not today.