University of Chicago Nurses Ratify Contract

CHICAGO, April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — University of Chicago Medical Center nurses celebrated the ratification of the new contract last night after it passed with an overwhelming 4:1 vote ratio.

“We won for our nurses, we won for our patients and we won for ourselves,” said Dotty Russell, Local Unit Chair. “This victory demonstrates the solidarity of the nurses at UCH.”

The contract includes provisions for a staffing plan utilizing nursing judgment. The creation of the joint acuity task force will result in a safer environment for both nurses and patients at UCH by determining staffing needs by the actual level of care each patient requires. Without consideration of the patient, other staffing systems will not work.

“We understand the importance of our ability to provide the level of care needed by the patient and considering the skill mix of the nurses on a particular shift. We cannot just assign a random number; patients are sicker than ever when they come to the hospital and this task force will allow the registered nurses to provide the level of care each patient needs,” said Marianne Curia, Membership Chair of the Local Bargaining Unit and Contract Negotiating Team member.

UCH nurses pressed issues concerning staffing and pay increases. Overall nurses will receive a 13% increase over the span of the 2.5 year contract.

“The Illinois Nurses Association has successfully served the nurses at University of Chicago. Through this contract we have accomplished many of the goals the nurses in this collective bargaining unit were working for. It is certainly time to celebrate,” said Sandra D. Robinson, Chair of the Economic & General Welfare Commission.

The Illinois Nurses Association (INA), a constituent member of the American Nurses Association and the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, is the largest professional organization representing registered nurses throughout Illinois. The INA is dedicated to advancing the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

Illinois Nurses Association

CONTACT: Amy Taylor, +1-312-419-2900, cell, +1-708-214-2900, or TomRenkes, +1-312-339-9509, both for the Illinois Nurses Association