UMC Nurse Stories
Video: Hear from nurses at University Medical Center
on why they voted to join NNOC/NNU.
Nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) began negotiating their first contract with LCMC Health in March 2024, shortly after their historic union victory in December 2023. Short staffing, rampant workplace violence, and lackluster benefits led UMC nurses to vote overwhelmingly to unionize, becoming the first nurses to do so at a private hospital in Louisiana.
“A strong contract is a contract that improves staffing, safety, and patient care at our hospital,” said Kisha Montes, RN in the behavioral health unit at UMC. “We know that our first contract can set new, higher standards at UMC and that can raise the bar at other hospitals, too. So, we’re fighting for our patients and for ourselves, but we’re also fighting for patients everywhere and for all the nurses who haven’t unionized yet.”
Nurses at UMC were unsurprised to see that their employer, LCMC Health, had earned the dubious distinction of being named to the 2025 Dirty Dozen by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a national organization dedicated to strengthening workplace health and safety. For a long time, nurses had documented widespread workplace violence, lethal weapons entering hospital facilities, and severe staffing shortages.
“Being in the hospital can be exceedingly difficult because patients and their loved ones are often afraid, or confused, or agitated facing an uncertain future,” said Heidi Tujague, RN in the emergency department and bargaining team member. “Sometimes, frightened people act out. If the appropriate staffing and resources were in place, we could meet our patient’s needs and calm potentially explosive situations. Too often, we are short-staffed and without systems to respond to the threat of violence.”
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