Hundreds of Nurses Rally at UMC for Safe Staffing and Violence Prevention

UMC Nurses in New Orleans Hold Informational Picket

Registered nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans organized an informational picket and rally today, signaling their intent to conduct a strike authorization vote. The UMC nurses, affiliated with National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), were supported by hundreds of union nurses nationwide advocating for safer staffing and measures to prevent workplace violence.

“At our last picket, we collectively decided to launch our strike pledges,” said Hailey Dupre, RN in the endoscopy unit at UMC. “I’m happy to announce that the overwhelming majority of our coworkers have signed it and have pledged to strike. We know UMC cares only about maximizing profits. Our ability to threaten the flow of their profits is our most powerful tool and we believe it is time for us to show loud and clear that we are prepared to do what it takes to win a strong union contract.”

UMC management has reportedly postponed bargaining sessions and failed to respond meaningfully to key proposals on workplace violence and safe staffing since negotiations began in March. While the date for the strike authorization vote remains undetermined, nurses will issue a 10-day notice if they decide to strike.

“I want to make this clear: Our working conditions are the healing environment for our patients,” stated Terry Mogilles, RN at UMC’s ambulatory care clinic. “An integral part of our organizing efforts is to fight for justice for our community. Whether it is gender justice, racial justice, health care justice, or economic justice, nurses must be at the center of how we tackle these issues.”

Nurses from Children’s Hospital New Orleans, owned by LCMC like UMC, also attended the rally. They recently began their campaign to unionize.

“We are excited to join UMC RNs in our fight to force LCMC to do right by their RNs and patients,” said Brooke Tompkins, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital. “Thank you to everyone at UMC that has been so encouraging to us during our organizing efforts. We have been inspired by what you all have accomplished, and look to follow in your footsteps. We need to unite RNs all across the city, the state, and the South. We are unstoppable when we stand together as nurses!”

The rally coincides with the union’s convention and the 15th anniversary celebration of NNU, the largest and fastest-growing union for registered nurses in the U.S.

“It’s an honor to be here today, standing with UMC nurses in your righteous fight for safe patient care conditions,” said NNU President Nancy Hagans, RN. “NNU represents 225,000 RNs across the United States. And from my home state of New York — to California — and everywhere in between, we have NNU nurses from all across the country here today. It was so important to us to come stand with our UMC colleagues. You’ve already won such a huge, historic victory by organizing a union. And now, UMC nurses deserve a strong first contract that guarantees protections for their patients and for RNs.”

“We are so proud to have recently welcomed the UMC nurses into our union family,” added NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN. “Your courage, compassion, and tenacity have inspired nurses across Louisiana, throughout the South, and across the United States. It’s incredibly meaningful to have NNU nurses from across the country gathered here in New Orleans again today — to stand with you.”

UMC nurses have put forward proposals to enhance safety and address workplace violence, including a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program and protections against retaliation for reporting unsafe conditions. However, UMC management has yet to offer substantial changes, sticking to the existing protocols.

During July’s informational picket, Heidi Tujague, an emergency room RN, remarked, “Too often, we are short-staffed and without systems to respond to the threat of violence. Without the guarantees of a legally binding union contract, any promises made by UMC are meaningless.”

Health care workers have seen a national rise in workplace violence rates, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. An NNU survey revealed that most nurses have faced workplace violence, with nearly half reporting increased incidents over the past year.

Background on NNOC/NNU at UMC

NNOC/NNU represents nearly 600 nurses at University Medical Center, including registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). In December 2023, UMC nurses voted to join NNOC/NNU, marking the first unionized private-sector hospital in Louisiana. This summer, UMC nurses held a speak-out in June and an informational picket in July to address workplace violence, which they assert affects staff morale and retention. Over 80 percent of nurses signed a letter urging UMC to support victims and prevent future violence. Data supports that unit-specific workplace violence prevention plans reduce incidents.

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.