Nurses at UMC say their third strike against management comes as contract negotiations remain stalled.

Registered nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans, Louisiana, are preparing for a third strike amid on-going negotiations for a first union contract with LCMC Health. Nurses on the hospital’s contract bargaining committee delivered notice of their intent to strike to management on Monday, April 21, and are now preparing for a strike on May 1. UMC nurses are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

“LCMC management has tried to stall our contract negotiations because they think they can wait us out,” said Heidi Tujague, RN in the emergency department. “But we are in this for every patient who will benefit from knowing we will have a contract that will improve our hospital. We’re striking for our patients.”

“It’s unfortunately no surprise that management has taken over a year on this,” said Shonda Franklin, RN in the UMC float pool. “But we won’t quit. We’re the ones taking care of our patients every day. What we’re asking for is enough nurses to do our jobs and enough respect in our hospital to be heard.”

UMC nurses voted to join NNOC/NNU in December 2023, making them the first private-sector hospital in Louisiana with a nurses union. They began bargaining their first union contract in March 2024, over a year ago. They struck first in October 2024 and again in February 2025, both strikes demonstrating the nurses’ commitment to their fight and the broad community support they’ve received throughout it.

National Nurses Organizing Committee represents more than 600 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at University Medical Center New Orleans and is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest nurses union in the United States.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.