The push to form a nurses union at CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga is centered on ensuring the hospital has enough staff members and resources to treat patients well, said a nurse who plans to vote to unionize.
Nurses at the hospital are concerned about recent cuts to support staff like IV technicians and unit secretaries, said Bridget Rhoades, a registered nurse at Memorial. They have experienced shortages of necessary supplies like linens, she said.
“The bedside nurse is doing the job of two to three people,” Rhoades said in a phone interview. “We previously had much more help throughout the hospital.”
The California-based National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, filed a petition on Oct. 7 to hold a union election covering 700 registered nurses at CommonSpirit Health’s flagship local hospital.
The union’s platform at Memorial includes adequate support staff and supplies, protections from technology replacing registered nurses and a wage scale based on experience, according to a flyer from National Nurses United.