Jul 16, 2020
News
[Labor Notes] Nurses Strike for More Staff at Big Illinois Health Chain
“After COVID-19, they put a sign up saying ‘heroes work here,’ but they sure aren’t treating us like that in bargaining,” said Olga Deschamps, a nurse at AMITA St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Illinois. Deschamps is one of 720 registered nurses at the hospital who have been on strike since July 4. The Illinois Nurses Association (INA) has been bargaining with St. Joseph since February; their contract expired May 9. It’s a battle between David and Goliath. AMITA Health is the largest health system in Illinois, and it’s part of Ascension, the largest Catholic health system in the world.