Nearly 3,000 nurses at Evanston, Ill.-based Endeavor Health are seeking to unionize over staff shortages and pay cuts, the Chicago Sun-Times reported May 8.
Four things to know:
1. Nurses at four of Endeavor’s nine hospitals would be represented by Teamsters Local 743, the Sun-Times reported.
“This group is standing up for their patients and themselves by fighting for safe staffing ratios, fair compensation, and the resources needed to provide the kind of care their community deserves,” a spokesperson for Teamsters Local 743 said in a May 13 statement shared with Becker’s.
2. The effort includes nurses at Endeavor’s four legacy hospitals: Evanston (Ill.) Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, Ill., Highland Park (Ill.) Hospital and Skokie (Ill.) Hospital.
3. One reason nurses are pushing for unionization is pay cuts. Nurses received reductions of $5 to $22 an hour, with compensation capped for the most experienced nurses, Tricia Poreda, BSN, RN, one of the nurses leading organizing efforts, told the Sun-Times. However, many nurses are most concerned about staffing shortages that put patients at risk, according to the report.
4. In a statement shared with Becker’s on May 12, an Endeavor spokesperson said the system respects the federally protected rights of nurses to make an informed choice about union representation.
The spokesperson added that Endeavor believes direct conversations between nurses and leaders are the best way to continue to deliver exceptional care and navigate complex healthcare challenges.
“We also recognize the challenges in providing safe, seamless patient care when a union acts as the intermediary between our nurses and hospital leadership,” the spokesperson said. “One of our greatest strengths is our nurses’ ability to work together directly and collaboratively with their leaders and care teams to achieve nursing excellence in service to our patients and communities.”
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