Registered nurses at Carondelet St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals will hold informational pickets on Thursday, Sept. 24, to demand that Carondelet management address serious staffing, patient care, and nurse recruitment and retention issues. The nurses are deeply concerned about eroding patient care conditions and the lack of experienced staff to adequately care for patients safely.

Who: Nurses from St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals
What: Informational pickets for safe staffing and a strong contract
Where and When (both pickets on Thursday, Sept. 24):
St. Mary’s Hospital, 1601 W. St. Mary’s Rd, Tucson: 8 to 10 a.m.
St. Joseph’s Hospital, 350 N. Wilmot Rd., Tucson: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“We’ve been in contract negotiations for months while management won’t move on these issues that directly affect patient care,” said Jessica Guzman, RN at St. Mary’s. “We’ve made proposals for safer patient handling, safer staffing, and better working conditions to recruit and retain nurses. One of our most basic demands is to staff up enough so nurses actually get our meal and rest breaks on 12-hour shifts.”

National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the largest and fastest growing nurses union in the country, represents approximately 600 nurses at Carondelet St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals in Tucson. Nurses began negotiations on a new contract in April.

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.