Nurses returning to work after strike at Chicago hospital
Posted September 25, 2019 7:00 am
CHICAGO (AP) - Nurses at University of Chicago Medical Center are returning to work after holding a strike following what they called a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital.
The one-day walkout took place last Friday, but hospital officials had told the nurses to stay away until Wednesday because temporary nurses were contracted. The hospital's President Sharon O'Keefe says in a statement that "clinical teams, including our nursing leaders, are focused exclusively on helping the Medical Center rapidly return to full operations."
Negotiations are scheduled to resume Sept. 30.
The 618-bed hospital prepared for the walkout by the about 2,200 nurses by diverting ambulances and moving patients.
The nurses have been without a contract since April. They're seeking lower nurse-to-patient ratios and say they're being forced to work overtime.
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Sherida Allen, center, a nurse in the interventional radiology department at the University of Chicago Medical Center, joins thousands of other nurses to strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Tiffany Eubanks, a nurse in the cardiothoracic surgery department at the University of Chicago Medical Center, leads a chant as she and thousands of other nurses strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday morning, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Kelly Knudsen, right, a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at the University of Chicago Medical Center, leads a chant as she and thousands of other nurses strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center, represented by National Nurses United, strike outside the South Side hospital, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Chicago. Nurses are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The Associated Press
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