On Sept. 15, Saint Louis University Hospital nurses gave notice to the hospital that they will hold a one-day strike on Sept. 25 from 7 a.m. to 6:59 a.m. on Sept. 26 according to a press release from National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). This follows a vote where 94% of SLU nurses voted to authorize a strike if hospital administration refused to reach a contract agreement after months of negotiations.
SLU nurses share deep concerns about patient care, staffing and workplace violence and cite a direct correlation betweenThis will be the first nurses’ strike in the history of SLU hospital.
The nurses are required to give 10-day notice of a strike to ensure the hospital can be adequately staffed.
After months of bargaining and very little movement from hospital administration, Sarah DeWilde, a SLU Hospital nurse representative for National Nurses United, knew that striking was a real possibility if there was no movement on their contract.
“They knew about our strike vote and approval to call for a strike,” DeWilde said. “The hope was to get it done after that. But it’s not over yet.”
The strike announcement follows two meetings with hospital administration, one on Sept. 7 and the other on Sept. 13.
