Nurses at New Orleans’ University Medical Center began a five-day strike on May 1, which is International Workers’ Day. This is their sixth time striking since they voted to unionize with National Nurses United in December 2023. They are striking again because they still haven’t gotten a contract guaranteeing fair wages, safe staffing levels, and other demands.
These UMC nurses are the first to unionize in the city. And, although they are in a protracted struggle with the LCMC hospital system owners, who may seem to have the upper hand, the balance of power can change rapidly in such labor struggles. Early this year, 15,000 New York City nurses went on strike in the New York-Presbyterian hospital system and won their contract. They had also been trying to get an acceptable contract since 2023.
The New Orleans strike that began today started with a rally and picket line outside UMC at the corner of Canal and Galvez streets. Opening remarks were given by RN Ory Mire, who is on the negotiating team. He said:
“This is our sixth strike. Nurses do not do this unless something is seriously wrong. We’re here because the hospital has chosen delays over solutions. They show up at the negotiation table, but they don’t really move: They just go through the motions. They stall, they deflect. They hope we will break our unity, but that’s not going to happen.
“This is why we filed an unfair labor practice strike for this surface bargaining. This is not a misunderstanding. This is their strategy: to drag this out instead of doing what’s right. But they misjudged us. They don’t know who they’re dealing with. We are still here and we are united. And we are prepared to keep fighting for as long as it takes to win a fair contract.”
Union organizer Terry Mogilles, RN, put the struggle in the context of the broad attacks of the ruling class, saying:
“I want to talk about power. There are two kinds of power. There’s financial power, which is based on greed right now – acquisitions, putting dollar signs on patients’ heads. And we know that’s not just LCMC, that’s what’s happening across this country. The billionaire class is doing everything they can to make sure they stay in power.
“Just this week they attacked our voting rights with a vengeance. We’re not going to let that happen, because guess what we got? That other kind of power: people power. And just like [CEO] Greg Feirn and LCMC with their over $400 million profit last year, they’re making deposits in the bank, and we’re making deposits in our people bank.”
It’s that people power that can enable a win for nurses and the communities they serve, just like nurses got this year in New York.
At 4:00 p.m., nurses and supporters left the picket line by bus to rally outside LCMC corporate headquarters at 1100 Poydras Street downtown. Then they marched to Tulane Medical Center headquarters on 1415 Tulane Avenue for another rally, and then marched again to City Hall, meeting up with the May Day march led by immigrant worker organization Unión Migrante.
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