Chicago Nurses Join National Nurses United Union in Overwhelming Vote

Chicago Nurses Join Forces with National Nurses United

Registered nurses at Chicago's Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital have overwhelmingly opted to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), part of the prominent National Nurses United (NNU), the largest nurses union in the United States. The election, held on June 17, saw nurses voting 96% in favor of unionization.

Anna Bilanicz, a registered nurse in the hospital's intensive care unit, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “Today is a great day to be a union nurse in Chicago. We’re so excited to join NNOC because we know we’ll be able to win the kind of contract that will be a gamechanger for our patients and for us as nurses.”

The nurses' decision follows a significant strike at the facility located in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. This strike was in response to the illegal dismissal of six colleagues accused of union organizing. Despite these measures by Prime Healthcare, the hospital’s owner, the nurses displayed unity and determination, culminating in this decisive victory.

Chris Williams, a nurse on the 14th floor, remarked, “Prime Healthcare thought they could scare us into silence. But now that we’re part of the country’s largest nurses union, our voice is louder than ever, and we’re still turning the volume up. We’re ready for a contract that makes sure our patients get the care they deserve, not the shortcuts Prime has been taking.”

Following their successful election, the nurses plan to advocate for the rehiring of their dismissed colleagues and to initiate good faith negotiations for their inaugural union contract. The nurses are set to choose their bargaining team representatives to start discussions with Prime Healthcare. They hope their efforts will inspire more nurses within the Prime system nationwide to consider unionizing.

The NNOC/NNU now represents almost 500 nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital. These newly unionized nurses join over 3,000 healthcare workers within the Prime Healthcare network already under the representation of NNOC/NNU, with more than 1,800 currently engaged in active contract negotiations.

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

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