ST. LOUIS — Registered nurses at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital plan to hold a one-day strike for patient safety and nurse retention.
The strike will begin at 7 a.m. Monday, Sept. 25, and end at 6:59 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, outside the hospital located on South Grand Boulevard. Nurses, elected officials and community members are expected to attend.
According to a press release from National Nurses United, registered nurses will protest "the administration’s refusal to address RNs’ deep concerns about patient care, safe staffing and workplace violence."
“We are striking because SSM Health must do more to recruit and retain nurses,” said Maddi O’Leary, RN in the bone marrow transplant clinic at SLU Hospital. “SSM Health has hired more than 1,600 nurses since 2020, but most of those nurses have left. Hundreds of RN positions — more than 30 percent of all nursing positions at SLU Hospital — have not been filled since the spring of 2022.”
Ninety-four percent of nurses at SLU Hospital voted in favor of the strike on Sept. 1. Nurses say they have been without a contract since June and held an information picket on July 19.
SSM Health shared the following statement regarding the planned one-day strike:
"While SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital (SLU-H) continues to bargain in good faith with the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), and advocate for positive solutions, the NNOC has remained wholly resistant. Since August 29, the NNOC has declined to respond or counter our proposals on key wage issues. Negotiations can only make progress when both sides are motivated and engaged. Rather than focus on bargaining, the NNOC has now announced it will pull nurses away from patient care to participate in a 24-hour strike at the hospital set to begin at 7am on Monday, Sept. 25.
"Hospitals and health systems in St. Louis, and across the country, continue to face significant challenges due to the nation’s critical shortage of nurses and health care professionals. Like many hospitals, we are utilizing agency staffing, as appropriate, to maintain safe staffing while we actively recruit additional nurses to join our team. Unfortunately, the highly divisive and politically-motivated strategies which are routinely used by NNOC across the country – including strike threats and attempts to publicly disparage SLU-H and the exceptional care our team provides – are counterproductive to our efforts to continue attracting and retaining nurses to our world-class academic medical center. It’s also important to note that while the NNOC states that 94% of nurses voted to authorize a strike – the NNOC leaders excluded more than 40% of SLU-H nurses from voting because they refuse to pay union dues.
"We deeply value all our talented, compassionate and dedicated nurses and professionals who provide exceptional health care services to our patients and community every day. We’re disappointed the NNOC has chosen to pull nurses away from patient care to participate in a strike rather than continue our discussions at the bargaining table. As a non-profit Mission-based organization, providing extraordinary care to our patients, creating a culture where team members can thrive and making our communities a better place to live is our priority. When the union is ready to engage, we remain committed to reaching an agreement that provides our nurses with a strong, market competitive compensation and benefits package – while ensuring continued exceptional care and service at SLU-H.
"Patient safety is our top priority, and our health ministry is well-prepared to remain open and care for our patients during any work stoppage event. We will have a comprehensive contingency plan in place to ensure there is no disruption in care or service for those we are privileged to serve.
"We look forward to returning to the bargaining table to reach an agreement that supports our nurses and patients – while continuing our focus on fostering a positive, supportive workplace where all team members can thrive. This includes significant ongoing investments to ensure competitive compensation and benefits, opportunities for career development and growth, and programs to support team member physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being."