UI Health providers authorize strike amid dispute over pay raises

Hundreds of UI Health's advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and midwives voted to strike last week after they say they were denied raises given to other hospital workers.The 200 providers voted "overwhelmingly" to deliver a 10-day strike notice on Friday to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board and University of Illinois Chicago, according to their union, SEIU Local 73. The union says UIC denied the providers a 2% wage increase in August that was given to other hospital staff.The providers could strike as soon as Nov. 11. The union, which has not announced if and when they'll strike, says they would rather negotiate than strike. But SEIU and UIC have been at odds for over a year over whether the union is allowed to represent the providers, and UI Health says the strike would violate a court order. “UIC Advanced Practice Providers have voted to strike because of the egregious behavior of their employer, which refuses to come to the bargaining table and continues thei