UI Health reaches tentative contract agreement with nurses union, ending strike

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Leadership at University of Illinois Health announced Sunday they have a tentative four-year contract with the Illinois Nurses Association after the nurses went on strike to demand higher wages.

The nurses returned to work Sunday after a four-day strike. Day one of the strike began on Wednesday on the Near West Side of Chicago. It was the second strike the union had gone on this year.

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The union says the deal includes improvements to hospital safety protocols, increases in wages, and bedside nurses input in staffing decisions. The full union still has to vote on the contract.

"The INA tentative agreement is for a 4-year contract from 2024-2028," a Sunday statement from UI Health Hospital & Clinics Leadership read in part. "INA nurses that have been on strike will return to work 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Details of the tentative agreement will be available after it has been ratified by the union's membership."

UI Health said they value the critical role nurses play in providing patients with exceptional care, outcomes and experiences.

Union leadership told ABC7 on Wednesday they've been fighting for a new contract for months after they said a proposed 2% wage increase was just not enough for the nurses.

Prior to the first INA strike in August, UI Health secured a temporary restraining order to prevent certain registered nurses in critical care units from striking in order to keep the hospital running. Those people remained working while more than 1,700 of their colleagues went on strike.

ABC7 has reached out to the INA for a statement after UI Health's Sunday announcement and is waiting to hear back.