Joliet nurses, St. Joe’s face off over staffing; nurses’ union files labor complaint

A spokesperson for Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet on Tuesday said the hospital wants a meeting with the nurses’ union, accusing it of engaging in “illegal work stoppages.”

The union, meanwhile, has filed an unfair labor practice complaint connected to the weekend suspension of four nurses who declined to work at what the union calls unsafe staffing levels.

The dispute has been simmering for weeks and brings back into the open an issue that was at the center of a 16-day nurses strike in 2020 before the two sides reached an agreement on the current contract.

Now, the hospital administration and union are accusing each other of violating that contract in the latest showdown over staffing.

“While the hospital is dealing with nursing shortage issues that all hospitals are currently facing, the Illinois Nurses Association has decided to promote and encourage nurses at the hospital to not work their scheduled shifts,” Ascension spokesperson Timothy Nelson said in a written statement. “The Illinois Nurses Association’s actions are regrettable and violate the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with the hospital.”

Nelson went on to accuse the union of “illegal work stoppages” and said the hospital has requested a meeting with nurses to deal with the matter.

The Illinois Nurses Association, meanwhile, has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the hospital suspended four nurses Friday while denying them union representation.

The complaint also accuses the hospital of violating provisions of the nurses’ contract related to staffing.

At a rally outside the hospital Saturday night, INA representatives said four nurses were escorted out of the hospital the night before, and three of them were not allowed to return to work the next day.

The nurses had objected to what they said was inadequate staffing in the emergency room when security was called to lead them out of the hospital, according to the INA. According to nurses, four nurses were scheduled for a night shift that should have been staffed by a dozen nurses.

The July 2020 contract agreement included language providing for both sides to address staffing concerns without any firm language in place. But staffing became an issue again soon after the agreement was reached. By October, the INA said it had filed more than 100 complaints about staffing since nurses returned to work after the strike.

Three weeks ago, nurses appeared at a Joliet City Council meeting urging elected officials to get involved with their dispute with the hospital on issues that included a decline in the number of nurses in the last four years from 850 to 615.