CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Nurses from the University of Illinois Hospital went back to work Saturday after their week-long strike, despite not reaching an agreement through continued negotiations with the Chicago hospital.
While the union said there has been progress, talks are set to resume Monday.
“We have made progress on a number of important fronts, from wages and staffing to essential safety issues like improved PPE,” said Doris Carroll, president of Illinois Nurses Association in a statement.
Carroll said the combined effort of INA and its sister union SEIU Local 73 created a powerful force that resonated within the halls of the hospital and the university.
The nurses went on strike Sept. 12 to ask for better wages, more PPE, a new contract and a lower case load amid the pandemic.
INA, which represents 1,400 nurses at the hospital, said the hospital improved its wage offering from a wage freeze a week ago to now offering small increases over the span of the four-year contract. After initially offering a wage freeze over that period, the hospital agreed to give raises of 0, 1.5, 1.5, and 1.5 for the four-year term but INA countered with larger increases.
The hospital also agreed to hire more than 200 nurses to improve the staffing ratio, addressing the most important issue the nurses insisted on as a primary reason to strike, the association said.