HJNO Jul/Aug 2026

NURSING STRIKE 40 JUL / AUG 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS when it comes to equipment that we need, some of the computer technology that is being asked to be implemented that could affect the actual care of the patient. Some of the AI equipment that is being tested is not fully vetted before it’s brought in. So being involved in those conversations and being able to actually see and use the technology prior to its implementation by people who actually work at the bedside, those kind of things. Editor So UMC nurses have gone on strike several times since 2024. Walk me through how nurses decide that a strike is necessary. Tujague Well, our most recent strike is due to unfair labor practices by the hospital in actually reaching this contract. The hospital published information when we first orga- nized that it takes roughly 400 and some- thing days to reach a first contract in health- care. We are well over 700 days, over two years now negotiating and there’s no rea- son why it should be taking this long. The hospital’s done other things in the past, like locking nurses out of the facility fromwhen we did strike, saying that they had to use their contract labor for three days. They’ve wasted money paying contract labor instead of coming back to the table to negotiate. They canceled negotiations when we’ve called a strike instead of being at the table trying to avert it. And the frustration levels have just increased over and over. The hospital has given free parking to everyone but the nurses in the union, saying they needed to negotiate that with the union. We attempted to negotiate that and they keep saying, “Oh, not right now.”They’ve also increased paid time off for everyone but the nurses in the union, saying they need to negotiate, and it’s this constant attempt to divide the staff by giving it to everyone but the nurses and the frustration of that, knowing that it’s petty games that the hospital’s playing when they’re doing this. Editor Are you the only unionized group in the area? Tujague We are the only unionized hospital that is private sector in the state of Louisi- ana. The VA nurses also have a union but they’re not private sector. Editor How did this come about? Did National Nurses United approach you all or did you approach them? How did that work? Tujague I wasn’t around in the beginning. I know there was some involvement prior to LCMC purchasing the Tulane system and it started actually there and it rolled over once LCMC bought Tulane. Some of the nurses who were working there were like, “Hey, this is what we were doing. Would y’all be interested in keeping it going?” Because they were nowworking at UMC. And at that point, there was a major leadership shift that was changing a lot of the nursing respon- sibilities without our input and so it grew rapidly at that point. Editor Has each strike had a different pur- pose or are they all part of the same first contract fight? Tujague They all do tie into the first con- tract fight, but they are each for a differ- ent purpose. One was regarding workplace violence prevention measures. I know one was on retaliation; trying to remember what each of them are. We’ve had six. One of them was on retention and recruitment measures, but each one does have a differ- ent focus where this most recent one is due to the unfair labor practice charges. Editor So for readers who may be skeptical of strikes in healthcare, what should they understand about the process that happens before a strike happens? Tujague Every time we do decide to have a strike, we give the hospital a 10-day notice and that allows the hospital time to either come back to the table and negotiate with us to avert the strike or if they choose not to, to hire replacement nurses to take the place of any nurse who is striking. The notice that we serve serves for every employee that is eligible to be part of the union as their notice to not be at work. So, each individual nurse is not responsible for calling in. It covers all nurses and we’ve seen the hospital cancel procedures and put the emergency room on diversion. The community is aware also that we are on strike, but we also educate during our strikes as patients come . . . “Yes, the hospital is still open; please go seek your medical care.”The hospital still operates as much as it can using relief staff that they pay for while we are on strike. Editor What percentage of the nurses are part of the union at this point? Tujague Every registered nurse who is not in a supervisory level as well as every nurse practitioner is eligible to be part of the union. We do not have people who have signed and dedicated membership yet because we do not have that first contract. Editor Oh, so you get the contract first and then — Tujague Correct. Every nurse is part of the bargaining unit right now and that is every eligible RN. If they are in the charge or supervisor or director/management type level, they cannot be part of the bargain- ing unit. Every staff-level nurse is eligible to be part and then once we get our first con- tract, they would sign membership forms and become an official union member. Editor Louisiana’s not used to strikes. Some places just have more unions than Louisi- ana does. How well received has this been in the hospital? Tujague It’s taken a little bit of education for the hospital itself. But I will say there have been some pretty major strikes here in New