News
Illinois Nurses Association and Local 73 Demand Better Staffing and Safety at UIHealth
On Tuesday, November 9, Nurses represented by the Illinois Nurses Association from the University of Illinois Hospital gathered in front of the facility to protest the spike in violence in the emergency room. Compounding the issue is the number of nurses (18) who have thus far left the ER due to unsafe staffing levels, according to INA. Holding picket signs and chanting “If we don’t get more nurses, you don’t get no peace,” the nurses were joined by SEIU Local 73 members who have also seen the unsafe conditions first-hand.
“The current situation is unsustainable, requires nurses to miss legally mandated lunch breaks and is dangerous not only for nurses, but for our patients as well,” said UIH nurse DeBreisha Flowers-Anderson, RN.
SEIU Local 73 members Arzette James-Wallace (Emergency Med Tech) and Daniel Culliver-Dodd (Med Tech) mirrored the sentiments, stating: “We are tired, we are short-staffed, we are overworked, and we need relief.”
INA has requested that the university take the following steps to address the dire issues:
- Any INA nurse from outside the Emergency Department who voluntarily works in the ED shall receive an additional $20/hr. for all hours worked in the Department.
- Any Emergency Department nurse who works unscheduled hours (i.e., comes in early or stays late) shall receive an additional $20/hr. for all unscheduled hours worked.
- All ED nurses in Overtime status shall receive an additional $20/hr
UIH replied by rejecting all requests. INA, with the support of SEIU Local 73, has therefore brought this to the public’s eye and will continue to do so until their demands are met.