New Orleans nurses strike again

UMCNO RNs continue fight for a first contract

By Lucy Diavolo

National Nurse magazine - April | May | June 2025 Issue

Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) held a one-day strike on May 1, May Day. It was their third strike as they continue to fight for a first union contract with LCMC Health. The nurses at UMCNO, who are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), said that workplace violence is the key issue of this strike. 

“We want to settle a strong contract that addresses our concerns about workplace violence,” said Dana Judkins, RN in the trauma intensive care unit at UMCNO. “We need to do so for the sake of our patients, our hospital, and ourselves. It’s past time to work with nurses to protect everyone at UMC.”

“LCMC’s stalling is not helpful,” said Kisha Montes, RN in the behavioral health unit. “People shouldn’t be afraid of being attacked when they come to work. But the way management runs our hospital, it’s clear that they want us to act like it’s normal. We can’t accept that.”

UMC nurses voted to join NNOC/NNU in December 2023, making them the first private-sector hospital in Louisiana with a nurses union. They began bargaining their first union contract in March 2024, over a year ago. They struck first in October 2024 and again in February 2025, both strikes demonstrating the nurses’ commitment to their fight and the broad community support they’ve received throughout it.

NNOC represents more than 600 nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans.

Lucy Diavolo is a communications specialist for National Nurses United.