Nurses at the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics near the DNC in Chicago walked out on their jobs today.
That always sucks, but the hospital is one of the closest to the United Center, which is hosting the DNC:
UI Health said in a statement Saturday that, “Should a work stoppage occur, we are prepared to continue safe patient care and ongoing operations” and that, “We value and respect the critical role our nurses and other healthcare professionals play in fulfilling the system’s mission to provide vital care for our community.”A UI Health spokeswoman did not immediately answer questions Monday morning about specific steps the hospital has taken to continue providing care during the strike. The last time the nurses went on strike in 2020 the hospital brought in temporary nurses, asked ambulances to take new patients elsewhere, didn’t take patient transfers from other hospitals and canceled elective procedures.The planned, weeklong strike begins at the same time as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago – an event that has local law enforcement and area hospitals on high alert. University of Illinois Hospital is one of the closest hospitals to the United Center, which is where many convention events are taking place. It’s just a little more than a mile away.The hospital has been preparing for the convention for months.
The Illinois Nurses Association represents the nurses.
The nurses demand “pay that’s on-par with other area hospitals, better staffing and more security at the health system, citing examples of nurses who’ve been attacked by patients.”
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees asked the Cook County Circuit Court to put a temporary restraining order on the strike because the hospital would have a hard time bringing those replacement nurses:
The hospital might have a problem bringing in replacement nurses:
In recent weeks, after the nurses voted to authorize a strike, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees went to Cook County Circuit Court to seek a temporary restraining order to stop some of the nurses from striking, saying the absence could present “a clear and present danger to the health or safety of the public.”In their complaint, the trustees said because of the convention, it could be especially difficult to find replacement nurses for the week. The staffing agency used by the hospital told the hospital that “many Staffing Agency nurses are not willing to travel to Chicago, Illinois during the DNC for safety reasons, and the Staffing Agency is having a difficult time finding lodging for the traveling nurses due to all area hotels being booked for the DNC,” according to the complaint.Also, other area hospitals might have trouble accepting UI Health’s patients this week because they might be more busy than usual because of the convention, according to the complaint. Patient transfers could also be difficult because of traffic congestion due to the convention, according to the complaint.Following those arguments and others, the judge issued a temporary restraining order Friday barring 91 nurses per shift – including those who work in intensive care units and the emergency department – from going on strike in order to “avoid or remove any clear and present danger to the health or safety of the public.” The judge, however, said that with the exception of those nurses, other nurses would be allowed to walk off the job.
The nurses want safety to be a top priority.
Mona Baig, a nurse in the psychiatric unit, said one “patient stabbed her with a pen in the shoulder a couple of years ago.”
Baig needed rotator cuff surgery.
The hospital is not a Level I trauma center.
That means if serious injuries happen at the DNC, the patients will go to Stroger Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
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