Patients and Neighbors to Call on LCMC Health CEO to Sign on to the Workers’ Bill of Rights, Settle Contract with Nurses Union

Step Up Louisiana to hold press conference & rally in front of UMC

April 17, 2025, NEW ORLEANS—On April 22, while NOLA Nurses United is at the bargaining table with LCMC Health, nurses, patients and community members will gather outside University Medical Center for a press conference and speakout calling on LCMC Health CEO Greg Feirn to sign on as a Workers’ Bill of Rights employer and finalize the LCMC nurses contract through a collective bargaining agreement with National Nurses United that prioritizes nurse safety and patient care.

• WHAT: Press Conference and Rally for Nurses’ Rights and Community Health
• WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 10:00 AM
• WHERE: University Medical Center, 2000 Canal St., New Orleans, LA
• WHO: Step Up Louisiana, nurses, labor allies, and community members

The rally, organized by Step Up Louisiana, will highlight the growing crisis inside University Medical Center due to chronic understaffing and unsafe working conditions. Nurses are demanding a contract that addresses hospital safety, adequate staffing, talent retention, and an end to workplace violence.

Frontline nurses with LCMC Health, the medical system over Children’s Hospital and University Medical Center, have been organizing since March of 2023 for safe and sustainable working conditions, citing flaws in a system that prioritizes profits over people. Qualified RNs continue to leave bedside care due to understaffing, grueling work hours and workplace violence, and National Nurses United points to the growing corporatization of healthcare as the root cause of these working conditions at UMC. In 2024, LCMC spent millions of dollars to bring in replacement nurses during labor strikes—funding which labor allies point out could have instead been invested in fair pay and staffing.

The rally will also uplift the recent victory for New Orleans workers during the November election, where 80% of voters approved an amendment to the New Orleans Home Rule Charter affirming the City’s commitment to workers’ rights. Step Up Louisiana is calling on LCMC Health’s CEO to publicly affirm the hospital’s commitment to basic worker protections by signing on as a Workers’ Bill of Rights Employer.

Confirmed speakers for the event include:

• Carmen Demourelle, Step Up Louisiana member and Patient Advocate

• Leona Ellis, Step Up Louisiana member and Patient Advocate

• Reverend Gregory Manning, Broadmoor Community Church

• Mike Robertshaw, RN, University Medical Center

About Step Up Louisiana

Step Up Louisiana is a community based organization committed to building power to win education and economic justice for all.  Step Up works with Louisianans of all races and ages to “step up” by campaigning, organizing from a racial justice perspective, and holding public officials accountable. The organization partners with parents, workers, students, and community members to disrupt systemic oppression in our schools and workplaces through voter education, advocacy, and action. 

Author: Evangeline