Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Protest Alleged Unionization Crackdown by Prime Healthcare
Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago have staged a protest against what they claim is a crackdown on their unionization efforts by the hospital's owner, Prime Healthcare. The registered nurses filed a petition on May 20 with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election, seeking representation by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United. The hospital, located in the Ukrainian Village, employs over 400 registered nurses. The nurses argue that unionization is necessary to advocate for themselves and their patients, especially after Prime Healthcare, a for-profit company, acquired the hospital from nonprofit Ascension last year. The protest follows the firing of several nurses who were leading the union campaign, which the union claims occurred shortly after the petition was filed. Prime Healthcare, based in California, operates more than 50 hospitals nationwide and has faced criticism for changes made at other Illinois hospitals it has acquired. 
