Nurses are moving forward with their planned strike and will host a sign-making party the night before in anticipation.

Registered nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans, La., are moving forward with their plan to hold a strike for one day on Friday, Oct. 25, as previously announced by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). Nurses voted to authorize their strike and delivered advanced notice to management of their plans. They say their strike is to protest unaddressed patient safety concerns in ongoing contract negotiations. Nurses will hold a rally at 9 a.m. on Friday on their strike line.

In preparation for Friday’s strike, nurses will host a sign-making party at First Grace United Methodist Church on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. 

UMC nurses have been in negotiations since March 2024 for a new contract with little to no movement on key issues. They urge management to invest in nursing staff and agree to a contract that improves safety for patients, nurses, and all hospital staff and codifies safe staffing, which ensures nurses have safe patient loads.

Sign-making party
When: Thursday, Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m.
Where: First Grace United Methodist Church, 3401 Canal St., New Orleans, La.

One-day strike with rally
When: Friday, Oct. 25, 7 a.m. to Saturday, Oct. 26, 6:59 a.m.
Rally: 9 a.m.
Where: University Medical Center, 2000 Canal St., New Orleans, La.
Picketing on Canal St. near the intersection with Galvez St.

“Nurses are striking for the future of our hospital,” said Shonda Franklin, RN in the float pool at UMC. “We know every day matters at UMC. That’s why we organized our union. We’re striking for one day, but we’re fighting for our patients every single day, and this strike is part of that fight.”

“Nurses are the eyes, ears, hands, and spirit of this hospital,” said Kisha Montes, RN in the behavioral health unit. “We want UMC to embrace the same spirit of our efforts alongside us, so we can make UMC a safer, better hospital.”

NNOC/NNU represents nearly 600 nurses at UMC, where nurses overwhelmingly voted to join NNOC/NNU in a December 2023 election, demonstrating a clear mandate for change at their hospital despite management effort’s to stall the election. Since contract negotiations began in March, nurses have rallied several times, including in June, July, and September.

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