More than 100 people gathered Tuesday morning in front of University Medical Center (UMC) in New Orleans to support the latest strike from the hospital’s nurses.
National Nurses United (NNU) — the union representing the UMC nurses — has been negotiating new staff contracts with hospital administrators since March 2024. This is the fifth strike in just over a year.
The mantra of the crowd that braved the morning’s cold snap was: retention, retention, retention. The nurses are calling for contracts that prioritize retaining nursing staff through better pay and benefits. They say adequate staffing and more experienced nurses can help improve care and make hospitals safer for both patients and staff…