Saint Mary Nurses Rally Against Prime Healthcare's Union Crackdown

Chicago Nurses Rally Against Alleged Anti-Union Actions by Prime Healthcare

Registered nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago are set to rally on Wednesday, May 27. The demonstration comes in response to Prime Healthcare's controversial actions, which nurses argue are an illegal effort to thwart unionization activities. The National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) and National Nurses United (NNU) report that four nursing leaders were recently dismissed following their involvement in union advocacy.

The nurses, seeking to affiliate with the NNOC, have filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. Their objective is to secure union representation to enhance working conditions, ultimately aiming to provide better care for patients. However, shortly after initiating this process, four nurses leading the union efforts were terminated for distributing flyers — an activity protected under union organizing rights.

Participants in the rally are calling for the immediate reinstatement of the dismissed nurses, demanding a fair election process and the protection of their rights to organize.

Event Details:

Participants: RNs at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital and supporting Chicago union RNs

Event: Rally against employer’s suppression of union organizing

Location: Corner of West Division and North Oakley Streets, Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, Chicago

Date & Time: Wednesday, May 27, at 8 a.m. Central Time

Quishe’ Branch, an emergency department RN at Saint Mary of Nazareth, stated, “This is Chicago and we are a union town. Nurses and our community are here to tell Prime that they cannot get away with this. Nurses at Saint Mary, just like the rest of this city, are hungry for union representation so that we can better our workplaces and ultimately take better care of our patients. Prime needs to show us respect, reinstate our colleagues, and let us have a fair election. We will not stop until we prevail.”

This rally is part of a broader trend of RN union organizing in Chicago, highlighted by a recent successful union vote by 2,000 registered nurses at Rush University Medical Center on May 18. Chicago's RNs are increasingly eager to join the NNU, the largest and fastest-growing nursing union in the United States.

Saint Mary of Nazareth employs over 400 registered nurses. The NNOC also represents approximately 2,500 nurses and healthcare workers at Prime Healthcare facilities in California and Nevada.

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.

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