NEW ORLEANS — It is projected in the next two years, New Orleans will have a shortage of around 2,500 registered nurses.
And it could get worse as baby boomers age and need more care.
That is putting a strain on work conditions for nurses in local hospitals. So, they are moving towards joining a union.
Around 750 nurses at UMC are moving closer to a vote to join the largest union of RNs in the country. If they vote yes, it would be the first in Louisiana. So, how could this affect you?
We turned to Dr. Walter Lane, Chief of Economics and Finance at UNO, who specializes in hospital management. No one from LCMC, or the Louisiana Hospital Association, or National Nurses United returned our calls for comment. Ochsner would not comment if nurses there were planning to organize as well.
“The local nurses, again, feel like they are in a good bargaining position. There's a shortage of nurses,” said Dr. Lane.
The long-time nursing shortage was exacerbated during the pandemic. Nurses got burned out, and more left the profession. To fill gaps, hospitals brought in traveling nurses.
“Then all of a sudden, a bunch of the local nurses started figuring out that people working next to me are making two or three times as much as I am, and so they quit and then signed on with the agency to come back at a higher price at the same hospital.”
Nurses not only want that same higher wage, but they are loaded up with longer hours, and feel like they can't give quality care when they are overloaded with patients. And studies show that leads to higher patient deaths.
On the hospital side, Dr. Lane says there aren't enough nurses available to hire, and hospitals can't afford to pay more.
“Hospitals are working to just keep their heads above water. The hospitals are not financially well off. In Louisiana, more than half of all our patients are Medicare and Medicaid, and we have no ability, we already lose money on Medicaid and Medicare patients,” he explained.
Hospitals are not only concerned about the bottom line, but also potential restrictions, that would not allow them to move nurses around to different departments.
So, could unionization mean better care or more nurses at your bedside? The national union says the agreements give nurses better working conditions, which in turn, leads to them giving better care.
But, even with better working conditions, Dr. Lane says the industry is still dealing with the overwhelming shortage of nurses across the country.
The vote for UMC nurses to decide if they want to join a union is scheduled for November 6.
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