New Orleans nurses speak out, vow to strike on May Day
New Orleans, LA – On April 22, almost 100 nurses and their supporters rallied at the University Medical Center. They were scheduled for bargaining that day, but LCMC Health Systems (formerly Louisiana Children’s Medical Center) cancelled the session. Nurses demanded that LCMC come to the table and followed up on a strike announcement that they had made the day before.
“Instead of buying balloons and ribbons to placate us, sit at the damn table,” said Terry Moguilles of National Nurses United. She proceeded to tell the media that the nurses would be on strike May 1 and join the citywide May Day March for workers’ and immigrants’ rights.
The union is demanding adequate staffing for patients’ quality care. Nurses voted to unionize in December 2023 and have been in contract negotiations ever since. Step Up Louisiana helped to organize the rally.