Nurses at Ohio State University held an informational picket on the front lawn outside of the University Hospital on Wednesday.
The informational picket was organized by the Ohio State University Nurses Organization (OSUNO), a local branch of the Ohio Nurses Association (ONA).
Nurses held signs and wore tee shirts that read 鈥淏uckeyes not Bullseyes鈥� and signs planted around the lawn said 鈥淲e Support Nurses at Ohio State.鈥� OSUNO nurses chanted as they walked around the perimeter of the lawn alongside their friends and family.
鈥淲e want to let the public know we need support and we鈥檙e trying to do the best that we can to care for patients, but at this point we need to make it public. What鈥檚 going on inside of the hospital is not working for our organization,鈥� said Catharyne Henderson, a staff nurse at OSU.
鈥淎s much as we would like to say you can do the work on emotional goodwill, we like to be paid for the work we鈥檙e doing,鈥� Henderson added.
OSU nurses have been in contract negotiations with the hospital since April 1, and say that a lot of their concerns have yet to be addressed.
According to Henderson, the nurses have reached tentative agreements on some issues but haven鈥檛 discussed wages yet. Their three-year contract expires June 30, although they can continue working under that contract until they come to a renewal agreement.
鈥淲ere back at the table tomorrow. It鈥檚 the last scheduled bargaining session and so we need OSU to show up in a meaningful way to address workplace violence, safe staffing and fair compensation to attract and recruit the best staff that our patients and communities deserve,鈥� said Rick Lucas, an OSU nurse and president of ONA. Lucas also mentioned that their goal is to settle a fair contract by the end of the month.
Part of the informational picket addressed concerns of workplace violence. In January, the union filed a formal Public Employment Risk Reduction Program complaint against the Wexner Medical Center for 鈥淸continuing] to fail to protect the safety of our members, patients, and visitors鈥� after a deadly weapon was found on an ER patient who was acting violently toward OSU nurses.
鈥淲e need real solutions to the staffing issues. We need OSU to meaningfully address workplace violence,鈥� Lucas said.
The Wexner Medical Center released a statement saying they respect the nurses' right to protest peacefully, as long as they follow the university space rules. The statement also said that the hospital and nurses reached 鈥渢entative agreements on a number of topics鈥� during the contract negotiations.
