Washington Hospital Center (WHC), the largest hospital in Washington D.C., has been embroiled in a contract dispute with its nurses since contract negotiations broke down over the summer.  In a move designed to improve their political leverage, WHC nurses, who are represented by the Nurses United of the National Capital Region, overwhelmingly voted to join National Nurses United (NNU).

With more than 155,000 members, NNU is the largest union representing nurses.  Founded last December, NNU has quickly spread from coast to coast and this year has organized nurses in Missouri, Texas, Nevada, Illinois and Washington D.C.

NNU wasted no time turning up the heat on WHC.  On November 1, 2010, NNU requested that the D.C. Health Department investigate staffing issues at WHC.  In a 19-page report, NNU alleged 50 instances of unsafe patient care caused by inadequate staffing, including delays in patients’ receipt of medication and infant feedings.  In a move consistent with the union corporate campaign playbook, NNU informed the Washington Post that WHC failed to satisfactorily respond to complaints about understaffing so it decided to escalate their concerns to a regulatory agency. 

Last week, the nurses voted to authorize a one-day strike on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving.  The strike is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. and last for 24 hours.  NNU claims it is staging the strike to protest unfair labor practices and force management to negotiate a new contract.  NNU also alleges that chronic understaffing is impacting patient care, an issue the union has pushed through legislative efforts as well. 

Strikes are nothing new with NNU.  Last month, NNU nurses engaged in a three-day strike against Children’s Hospital Oakland based on a reduction in health insurance benefits.  On October 26, 2010, NNU nurses also engaged in a one-day strike against Watsonville Community Hospital to protest staffing ratios.  Earlier this year, NNU engaged in the largest nursing strike in national history when 12,000 Minnesota nurses went on strike over staffing ratios and other issues.

This entry was written by Carie Torrence.

Photo Credit: John Kershner