NEW ORLEANS — Nurses at one of our region’s largest health care facilities are preparing to walk the picket line. Hundreds of University Medical Center (UMC) nurses are scheduled to strike next week. The walkout is the latest development in a prolonged labor dispute that has yet to yield a collective bargaining agreement.
Here are four things you should know about next week’s strike.
Will the strike affect patient care, scheduled procedures, and appointments?
LCMC Health, which manages UMC, states that the strike will not disrupt patient care. They assert that help is being brought in to cover the shifts of the striking union members, ensuring operations continue as scheduled.
How many nurses are striking?
The nurses’ union reports that approximately 600 nurses will be on the picket line over the course of the strike Tuesday-Thursday.
Why are they striking?
While previous actions have focused on improving working conditions and pay, this strike’s primary focus is on improving the recruitment and retention of nurses at UMC, the union said.
“We want to be able to keep nurses here in the community we love, serving the people we love,” UMC Nurse Terry Mogilles said…