Registered nurses at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey have voted to unionize.
The nurses at the hospital, which is affiliated with University of Chicago Medical Center, voted 276-109 to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.
This vote comes nearly two months after the UChicago Medical Center’s administration refused to recognize many Ingalls Memorial nurses’ desire to unionize, even though UChicago nurses belong to the NNOC.
The secret balloting took place Wednesday and Thursday; the election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.
“Nurses at Ingalls do the same work for the same employer and yet lack the protections and benefits of union representation,” Sylviette Young, a registered nurse, said in a statement.
UChicago Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Debra Albert issued a statement saying that the union failed to respond to an economic proposal for two months and “focused instead on picketing our patients, filing frivolous regulatory claims that have been dismissed, and soliciting strike pledges.”
Ingalls Memorial nurses’ initial plea to unionize was rejected during contract negotiations in August.
Ingalls Memorial nurses’ are set to elect a team to represent them during negotiations at their first collective bargaining agreement with hospital management.
“Nurses at Ingalls are so excited to have won a seat at the table. We are ready to begin advocating to improve standards for our patients,” Cathy Vaughn, a registered nurse, said in a statement. “This victory means that decisions about patient care are made at the bedside, not in the boardroom.”
Issues nurses said they want to address at the bargaining table include pay, health benefits and an end to mandatory overtime and assigning nurses to units without proper preparation.
