Nurses at St. Joe’s want city involvement in hospital issues

Nurses at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet hospital want city hall to get involved in talks with management over what they say has been a continuous decline in beds and nurses.

Three nurses appeared before the Joliet City Council on Tuesday asking the city to take a role, contending that hospital administration has not responded to concerns raised by the nurses’ union.

“I know a lot of people in the community have noticed our hospital changes hands a lot,” Emily Anderson, a nurse at the hospital for eight years told the council during a Public Comments session at the end of the meeting.

The number of beds at the hospital has dropped from 420 to 250 through the ownership changes, Anderson said. The number of beds will go down another 30 with a planned merger of two hospital units, she said.

Meanwhile, the number of nurses at the hospital has dropped from 850 to 615 in the last four years, Anderson said. Forty-two nurses left this year, and only 15 have been replaced, she said.

“We need elected representatives to call a meeting with our hospital board, union representatives, and floor nurses so we can get to the bottom of this,” Anderson said.

The hospital became Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet in April, which was its fourth name change since 2000 after going through three ownership changes.

Nurses also say wages at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet are lagging behind other area hospitals, and hospital administration should not point to the union contract as a cap on what can be paid to nurses.

There also is an ongoing dispute with management over incorrect or missing paychecks since the hospital’s payroll service provider was hacked in December.

“They consistently can’t get your hours worked correct,” said Pat Meade, treasurer for the St. Joseph Nurses Association that represents union nurses at the hospital. “Ever since the hacking, it’s been a nightmare.”

Nurses now have to wait two weeks until the next pay period to collect missing pay even when they don’t get any paycheck at all Meade said.

Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said later in the week the city could get involved at some level but would draw a line.

“Obviously, it’s the only hospital in town, and there’s a public interest there,” O’Dekirk said. “We’re not going to get involved in labor negotiations. But, I think if they want us to get involved in facilitating a conversation, we would do that.”

A spokesman for Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet did not return a call and emails seeking comment.