Nurses say efforts to address this critical issue in contract negotiations have been stymied.

Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) are moving forward with their one-day strike on May 1. Gearing up for their third strike as they continue to fight for a first union contract with LCMC Health, nurses at UMCNO represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) say workplace violence is the key issue of this strike. Nurses have given advance notice to the hospital for their work stoppage. 

“We want to settle a strong contract that addresses our concerns about workplace violence,” said Dana Judkins, RN in the trauma intensive care unit. “We need to do so for the sake of our patients, our hospital, and ourselves. It’s past time to work with nurses to protect everyone at UMC.”

Who: Registered nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans
What: One-day strike against workplace violence
When: Thursday, May 1, 7 a.m. to Friday, May 2, 6:59 a.m.
Where: University Medical Center, 2000 Canal St., New Orleans, La.; on the sidewalk at the intersection of Canal St. and Galvez St.

“LCMC’s stalling is not helpful,” said Kisha Montes, RN in the behavioral health unit. “People shouldn’t be afraid of being attacked when they come to work. But the way management runs our hospital, it’s clear that they want us to act like it’s normal. We can’t accept that.”

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 nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans and is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the country’s largest nurses union.

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.