Update on UI Health nurses potential work stoppage

UIC and UI Health community,

Despite progress in ongoing negotiations, members of the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) representing registered nurses at UI Health have voted to authorize a potential second strike.

While this action means that the INA can opt to strike, it does not mean that they will.

Although we are disappointed the INA arrived at this decision, we remain committed to maintaining patient care at the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics during a potential work stoppage.

UI Health and the INA have remained engaged in collective bargaining for a successor contract to the INA registered nurse collective bargaining agreement. To date, we have had more than 40 negotiation sessions, with six additional sessions scheduled.

When it comes to the top issues that matter to our UI Health nurses — compensation and safety and security — the university has made substantive offers to meaningfully support our nurses.

COMPENSATION

Our nurses deserve top compensation — and they receive it. The majority of UI Health nurses currently are paid better than 90% of nurses in the Chicagoland area. Under our current proposal, UI Health nurses will continue to receive top pay compared with their Chicagoland peers.

• UI Health’s current economic offer increases nurses’ general wages by 17.1% over a four-year contract.
  • By comparison, the 2020 contract ratified by INA nurses contained an 11.8% salary increase over the four-year period. 
• The INA proposes a 29.7% increase over a three-year contract.

This economic proposal from the INA representatives is not sustainable for our organization.

Our proposal also includes raising differentials, supplemental pay and bonuses above those outlined in the current collective bargaining agreement and raising hourly rates for nurses working in our In-House Registry. Those assigned to permanent off-shifts will have the differentials included in their base salary.

Importantly, nurses value working at UI Health. Over the last four years, the turnover rate of INA-represented nurses was half the national average (11% vs. 21%).

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Our nurses deserve to work in a safe and respectful environment. Sadly, workplace violence against health care staff, particularly nurses, is a growing concern across the nation and is a concern that UI Health shares. UI Health has made numerous investments in safety technologies and programs to protect patients and staff. We have also established a workplace violence prevention committee composed of staff and hospital leadership working in partnership to address concerns and assess any potential threats.

These safety improvements have contributed to a decrease in workplace violence incidents against our staff, including:

• A 40% decrease in hospital-reported employee injuries.
• A 20% decrease in hospital workplace violence incidents.
• A 50% decrease in adult inpatient psychiatry workplace violence incidents.
• A 25% decrease in Emergency Department workplace violence incidents.

TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

In the event of a work stoppage, UI Health will take action to ensure continuity of care for our patients. Prior to the first INA strike, we secured agency nursing staff to ensure continued patient care and to obtain a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent certain INA-represented registered nurses in critical care units from striking in order to protect the health and safety of our patients in those units and the public at large.

This TRO — which is still in effect — was crafted by the court to balance the important need to protect the health and safety of the public with the rights of our INA-represented nurses to strike if they so choose.

UI Health values the critical role our nurses and other health care professionals play in fulfilling our mission to provide vital care for our community. Should a work stoppage occur, we have comprehensive plans in place, including a process to secure nursing agency staff, to continue ongoing operations and safe patient care at UI Health.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Barish
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

Dr. Mark Rosenblatt
CEO, University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics

For more information, please contact:
Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez
smcginn@uic.edu