Registered nurses at Community First Medical Center on the Northwest Side voted this week to unionize, the union said Friday.
National Nurses Organizing Committee now represents about 320 registered nurses at Community First, 5645 W. Addison St. The union said the vote Thursday was 207 to 16.
“Joining the union means that we will now have a real voice in patient care decisions,” First Medical nurse Kathy Haff said in a statement. “We can be better advocates for our patients and make sure we have a say when policies are implemented.”
Among the issues of concern to nurses are competitive pay as well as improved health benefits, union officials said.
The Community First registered nurses join about 780 nurses from the Chicago area who have joined the union during the past 13 months, union officials said.
A representative from Community First, which has 299 beds, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Nurses at the hospital must now elect a team to represent them during negotiations with hospital management, the union said.
