Nurses hold 1-day strike at University of Chicago hospital
Posted September 20, 2019 7:00 am
CHICAGO (AP) - Nurses at University of Chicago Medical Center are holding a one-day strike following what they call a breakdown of contract negotiations between their union and the hospital.
The walkout began Friday morning, with nurses marching and chanting outside the hospital.
The 618-bed hospital prepared for a walkout by the about 2,200 nurses by diverting ambulances and moving patients. Although the nurses say the strike will last one day, hospital officials have told the nurses to stay away until Wednesday because temporary nurses have been contracted.
The hospital's President Sharon O'Keefe has said that the medical center was "disheartened that we had to get to this point."
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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