University of Chicago Medical Center and the union representing about 2,200 of its nurses have reached a tentative agreement.
The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United called off a one-day strike and is slated to vote on the agreement Nov. 26, the day it had planned to strike. Agreement details will be released after the ratification vote, the union said.
University of Chicago Medical Center closed its level 1 trauma center for adult and pediatric patients in preparation for the strike and announced it would move about 50 babies and 20 other children in its neonatal and pediatric intensive care units to other facilities. It also began recruiting replacement nurses to work during the strike and canceling or rescheduling elective surgeries.
The medical center's Nov. 23 announcement of the strike's cancellation did not address the strike preparation efforts.
"Both sides have been working since March on a contract that not only recognizes the valuable contributions our nurses make to our organization, but also ensures UCMC remains at the forefront of medical care and scientific research for years to come," said Debra Albert, MSN, RN, CNO and senior vice president of patient care services at the medical center.
"I want to thank the members of both bargaining teams for working together to find an equitable compromise for the good of our patients, our community and each other," she said.
The union also said it is pleased about the agreement.
Nurses walked off the job Sept. 20. They were allowed to return to work Sept. 25, after the medical center said it fulfilled its contract with temporary nurses to replace the striking ones for five days.
Leading up to the planned second strike, medical center leaders said incentive pay — and whether the hospital should end the pay for newly hired nurses — was a sticking point in negotiations, according to the Chicago Tribune. The union continued to express concerns about staffing levels.
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