Nurses from University Medical Center will protest LCMC’s stall tactics in first contract negotiations at 10K sponsored by local health care giant.

Nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans, La., will hold a rally on Saturday, April 19, to highlight their patient safety concerns including short-staffing, workplace violence, and LCMC’s stall tactics in first contract negotiations, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) today.  

“Our community deserves to know what we are fighting for, and our top priority in a first contract is to have a direct voice in improving the care our patients receive at University Medical Center,” said Kisha Montes, RN in the UMC behavioral health unit. “Unsafe staffing, lacking supplies, and stagnant wages are major reasons why so many of our dedicated nurse coworkers have left the bedside for other jobs. We demand that LCMC stop its stall tactics in contract negotiations and work with us to finalize a strong contract that improves our profession and the patient care we deliver every day.”

Who: University Medical Center registered nurses and nurse practitioners
What: Rally for a strong contract
When: Saturday, April 19, 7:45 a.m.
Where: Champions Square, by the corner of Lasalle St. and Poydras St., under the sign for Garage 1

Nurses at UMC began negotiating their first contract with LCMC in March 2024, shortly after their historic union victory in December 2023. Short staffing, workplace violence, and lackluster benefits are major reasons why UMC nurses voted overwhelmingly in support of their union and became the first nurses to do so at a private hospital in Louisiana. Nurses say that LCMC has downplayed the concerns they want to address through a union contract and instead focused on delay tactics, leading to two strikes called by nurses seeking movement on their contract.

“For over a year, we have been negotiating a first contract with LCMC to address widespread issues on patient care, staffing, and working conditions of nurses.” said Dorothy Stencel, RN in the medical intensive care unit. “We are out here speaking to our community and engaging them about why it is so important for us to win a strong first contract that will enable us to improve the care our community receives by improving staffing and working conditions for nurses.”

NNOC/NNU represents more than 600 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at University Medical Center New Orleans.

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.