AMITA St. Joseph Nurses Ready To Walk After Filing Strike Notice

JOLIET, IL — More than 700 nurses at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center are prepared to walk off the job as early as next weekend after the group filed a 10-day strike notice on Tuesday.

Pat Meade, a longtime nurse at the Joliet facility and member of the Saint Joseph Nurses' Association, which is part of the Illinois Nurses' Association, told Patch on Tuesday that nearly 400 nurses indicated that they are ready to strike after being presented with the hospital's latest proposal on a call Monday night.

An overwhelming 91 percent of nurses voted in May to approve a strike. Nurses at the hospital have been without a contract since May 9 and have been negotiating a new deal since February.

Meade said the group has two more negotiation sessions scheduled with the hospital on June 30 and July 8 and remains hopeful that a deal can be reached.

But Meade said after speaking with her colleagues Monday night, there is a "very high percentage" chance that the nurses will strike before the second negotiating session can take place. Meade said that the hospital's proposal was its last and final offer and that the group was given a deadline to either accept or reject the proposal.

As of now, the main obstacle standing between the two sides is the level of nurse staffing at the hospital. Before last month's vote to approve a strike, the Illinois Nursing Association filed three unfair labor practice act complaints against the AMITA hospital with the National Labor Relations Board, citing the hospital for serious violations of national federal labor law.

Now, a month later, nurses are ready to take action.

"They're ready to walk," Meade told Patch on Tuesday. "We went over every sentence (of the proposal) with them, and they said no."

The nurses' association sent a proposal to hospital officials on Monday indicating that if they were willing to replace non-hands-on nurses with those who actually provide nursing care, there would be enough staffing to assist patients. Nursing staff levels currently include administrators, administrative assistants and nursing assistants who cannot offer the care that is necessary, Meade said.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for more healthcare professionals, but as nurses at the Joliet hospital have asked for more staffing, their requests have been rejected, Meade said. According to a news release issued by the Illinois Nurses' Association on Tuesday, the hospital's last and final proposal included the following:

• A three-year wage freeze at current pay levers, bonuses the first year $500 FT/$250 PT/ $200 IHRs, if AMITA decides to allow other employees get their merit increase then RNs also get merit increases.
• Extended Illness Bank and anniversary bonus PTO grandfathered for current bargaining unit nurses but eliminated for future nurses.
• Staffing: Establish a recruitment committee, Weekend Program as union proposed (several contracts earlier), but no to ratios or improved staffing plans, no to free charge nurse on nights, critical incentive program for all extra shifts during critical times paid $10 per hour unit, $12.50 per hour for nurses who float.
• Health insurance premium contribution caps at 25% for FT and 35% PT
• Good Friday and MLK Day holidays added if we withdraw our arbitration for 2020 holiday pay.
• INA must withdraw its Unfair Labor Practice complaints
• Flu Vaccines side letter remains the same

The nurses's association countered with the following proposal for staffing.

• Gradually introduced staffing minimums by care (4 is the maximum patient limit), Hours per patient day (the measurement of hours of direct patient care given) cannot include non-patient care staff, enforceable staffing plans, variance reports provided to the Staffing and Acuity Committee, Weekend Program (what we had several contracts ago), charge nurse on nights does not take patients on top of the charge nurse job, critical incentive program for all extra shifts during critical times paid at 150%

“AMITA’s proposal and bargaining tactics can only be described as greedy and aggressive,” said Alice Johnson, executive director of the INA. “While AMITA nurses work on the front line at considerable risk to their health and wellbeing, AMITA is trying to squeeze them financially and take away important sick time benefits the nurses need.. . While the nurse bargaining team has spent months trying to get basic minimum staffing levels that patients deserve, AMITA management refuses to negotiate in good faith."

Nurses at the Joliet hospital have taken on five COVID-19 patients apiece, while nurses working in the intensive care unit have each cared for three COVID-19 patients in order to "take care of the community of Joliet," Meade said.

"It seems like it's so simple to me," Meade said. "It's an easy fix, but (the request) was totally rejected. It's almost unbelievable and it's devastating and it's demoralizing.

"It's like, what more do you want?" Meade continued. "We've given you our all — literally and figuratively — but it's not enough."