Ascension Joliet nurses protest firing of union leader

Joliet — Members of the St. Joseph Nurses Association on Thursday said they plan to protest the firing of their local union steward by Ascension St. Joseph – Joliet hospital.

Kaitlynd French, a member of the Nurses Association Executive Board at Ascension St. Joseph – Joliet hospital, was let go from her position at the hospital, according to a statement released by the nurses union.

French is also a named plaintiff in the ongoing class-action lawsuit the union members have brought against Ascension for alleged wage theft.

“French’s termination is in clear violation of the nurses’ newly ratified contract and protected right to representation,” the union said in the statement.

According to the union’s press release, French had been put on an unpaid suspension for two weeks and subjected to disciplinary measures before her firing. The union said this was “in response to French’s representation of a fellow worker which union members are entitled to under a Supreme Court ruling” and for “speaking up for her coworkers’ and patients’ safety.”

When reached for comment about French’s firing, the hospital’s Senior Director of External Communications Olga Solares said, “Ascension Saint Joseph - Joliet is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of our associates. In accordance with our policies, we do not comment on individual personnel matters.”

“Kaitlynd is fearless standing up to Ascension when they put our members in harm’s way,” SJNA Executive Board member Beth Corsetti said. “Without her, this hospital, its nurses, and its patients are less safe.”

The union also alleges in its statement that French is not the first union member to be disciplined illegally by Ascension in recent months for “discussing workplace conditions with coworkers.”

The SJNA plans on holding a news conference and rally outside the Joliet hospital at 4 p.m. Tuesday to “demand French’s immediate reinstatement.”

Thursday’s development follows a year of contentious contract negotiations between the hospital and the nurses’ union which included several walkouts.

The hospital declared the negotiations had reached an impasse in January and that it would implement its “last, best, and final offer” in March. The union objected to this, but eventually approved a slightly modified version of the deal in May.

During and following the contract struggles, SJNA has filed more than a dozen Unfair Labor Practice charges against Ascension with the National Labor Relations Board.

Ascension is in the process of selling the St. Joseph – Joliet hospital along with eight other Illinois facilities to Prime HealthCare for $375 million.