Nurses at University Medical Center authorize strike after nurse leaders face retaliatory discipline 

Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) in New Orleans, La., have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike to protest LCMC Health’s retaliation against nurses for their union activity and patient advocacy. Nurses at UMCNO, represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), today delivered notice of their upcoming strike, which will be held for two days starting July 15.

Nurses are outraged that LCMC management has engaged in a troubling pattern of coming after experienced nurses advocating for their patients and co-workers, a pattern that includes the termination of Mike Robertshaw, RN, and recent disciplinary action against Wanda Williams, RN. Nurses say that management is clearly looking for reasons to discipline outspoken patient advocates who support their union and fight to improve working conditions.

“LCMC wants to single out nurses, but we’ll be standing together on the strike line saying this isn’t okay,” said Williams, a nurse of 37 years who works in the observation unit at UMCNO. “Instead of working with us to make UMCNO a better hospital for everyone, management is trying to scare us and punish us for supporting our union and our patients. We’re concerned that they will continue to escalate against other nurses they deem undesirable.” 

Who: Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans
What: Two-day strike against management retaliation
When: Tuesday, July 15, 7 a.m. to Thursday, July 17, 6:59 a.m.
Where: University Medical Center New Orleans, 2000 Canal St., New Orleans, La.; at the corner of Canal St. and Galvez St.

“We won’t be bullied out of fighting for our patients and our co-workers,” said Robertshaw, RN in the burn intensive care unit at UMCNO. “LCMC is clearly looking for reasons to discipline pro-union nurses instead of working with us. We started our union to make UMC a better place to get care and a better place to work, and it’s disappointing that LCMC will make excuses to punish us when it’s clear their real goal is silencing nurses. This all demonstrates why we need to get the contract done.

UMCNO nurses have been in negotiations since March 2024 for a new contract without enough movement on the key issues nurses organized to change when they voted to join NNOC/NNU in December 2023. NNOC/NNU represents more than 600 nurses at UMCNO.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.