<\/p>\n Tricia Poreda is one of the Endeavor nurses who is leading organizing efforts.<\/p>\n Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n Poreda, who works in the emergency department and in intensive care with the sickest patients, said what many nurses are most concerned about is being short-staffed \u2014 putting patients at risk. For example, in the ICU, there\u2019s typically one nurse treating two patients unless a patient is very critical, but without enough staff, nurses are often forced to take on more, Poreda said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so stressful,\u201d she said. \u201cI make it a point to care for each and every one of my patients the way that I would want my family taken care of. \u2026 When I can\u2019t do that, I worry about them \u2026 The last thing in the world I want is for something bad to happen because I am too bogged down with too much workload.\u201d<\/p>\n WBEZ obtained fliers administrators are circulating at work that say nurses don\u2019t have to sign a card or petition from a union.<\/p>\n In a statement, an Endeavor spokesperson did not comment on pay cuts or understaffing nurses but said: \u201cNurses are at the heart of organization.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe also recognize the challenges in providing safe, seamless patient care when a union acts as the intermediary between our nurses and hospital leadership,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Endeavor has had to grapple with safety issues recently <\/a>after a patient at Swedish Hospital on Chicago\u2019s North Side shot two police officers<\/a>, according to prosecutors. One of the officers died, and the other was gravely wounded. Swedish is one of nine Endeavor hospitals across Chicago and the suburbs.<\/p>\n Endeavor is one of the biggest hospital systems in the Chicago area, treating more than 1 million patients a year and employing more than 27,000 people, according to the health system. It generated about $6.4 billion in revenue in 2025, its most recent annual financial statement<\/a> shows.<\/p>\n Poreda is one of several nurses who sued Endeavor last year, alleging the health system understaffs nurses to save money, compromising patient safety and requiring nurses to routinely work beyond their shifts without pay, according to the federal lawsuit.<\/p>\n The lawsuit describes several instances where patients were allegedly hurt or died because of understaffing. One patient fell and broke their hip while waiting in the emergency room, while another was given the wrong blood type during a transfusion and died, court records show.<\/p>\n One of the nurses alleged she was berated by a manager for helping a patient who was covered in feces, bleeding, crying and screaming, instead of discharging other patients. The same nurse alleges a human resources officer \u201cinvoluntarily snatched\u201d her cell phone and searched it after she talked with other nurses about unionizing. Then she was fired, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit is ongoing.<\/p>\n![\"Tricia](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6b32ecf\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F6f%2Fd4%2F1f1af85f4446979d51df242220e6%2Fendeavornurses-260509-8.jpg\")
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