Joliet Hospital Down 300 Nurses, Union Fighting for More

St. Joseph Medical Center nurses in Joliet could authorize a strike if a contract isn’t reached by the July 19th deadline. Nurses held a car rally this week around the hospital. There have been eight negotiating sessions with some movement. The good news is new hires would get a salary bump, however nurses that have been there for more than 20 years would see a 2-percent bump of their salary.

Meanwhile, President of the Illinois Nurses Association, Pat Meade says something even more important needs to be negotiated and that’s the safety of patients. Meade says the hospital is down 300 nurses.
St. Joe’s used to have over 800 nurses and now that number has dwindled to 530. The nurses contract with Ascension Health System expired on July 19th.