Hundreds of Des Moines nurses could unionize this weekend

[Omaha Steve]

It's Thursday, December 4, 2025.

After a delayed vote because of the government shutdown, hundreds of nurses at four UnityPoint hospitals in the Des Moines area are voting this weekend on whether to unionize with Teamsters Local 90—an election being closely watched by non-union nurses across Iowa who are also struggling with understaffing and patient violence.

The postponed UnityPoint vote among 1,776 health care professionals at Blank Children's Hospital, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, Iowa Methodist Medical Center, and Methodist West Hospital has been rescheduled for Sunday, Dec. 7, through Tuesday, Dec. 9.

It's the state's largest private-sector union election ever, according to Teamsters.

"I'm excited. I'm ready to vote," said Belinda Carpenter, a registered nurse in the critical care and emergency departments who works at the three adult hospitals. "I think that nurses are seeing the bad side of what UnityPoint's doing."

FULL story: https://link.iowastartingline.com/view/650843af904f88308d52ecb5pj2ag.a2o/7941cc53

[Munu]

1. ... patient violence?

What is the story behind the patient violence?

[AllyCat]

3. I'm not sure at this facility, but I suspect it is similar to what we experience:

Threats from families and visitors. People angry over custody of a baby, mad about their care or the bills, people with known violent histories...we make a safety plan with them...and they violate it. Staff hit, hair pulled, kicked, verbally abused, racial slurs, refusal to be taken care of by certain ethnic groups, weapons smuggled in.

That is the kind of patient violence staff experience.

[Munu]

4. Interesting

It explains something I experienced recently without understanding why.
I visited a hospital (on business) and there was an airport style security checkpoint.
A new one on me, but I suppose it's been that way for years.
Public safety really is falling apart.

[AllyCat]

5. I have to go through security and have my bag checked to the go the ER

Different facility than the one I work for where there is still no checkpoint and we have issues all the time. Security says they don't have enough people to staff a check point.

People have lost their damn minds and think they can solve everything with violence.

[AllyCat]

2. Go union nurses!!