Nurses at Rush University Medical Center have voted to unionize, a vote that will make Rush one of the largest Chicago hospitals with unionized nurses.

About 2,000 Rush registered nurses will be represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, after 77% voted in favor of joining the union, according to the union. The National Labor Relations Board certifies elections in which a majority of those who vote choose a particular union.

“I’m just thrilled,” said Jennifer Pearl, a nurse at the hospital who helped organize the nurses at Rush.

She said nurses decided to unionize to fight for patient safety, lower nurse-to-patient ratios, nurse safety and to have more of a voice.

“It’s a fairly huge hospital,” Pearl said. “We have a lot of patients. We have a lot of nurses, but still not enough nurses.”

Rush’s senior vice president and chief nursing officer, Deana Sievert, said in a statement Monday afternoon that Rush is reviewing the “preliminary polling results” from election.

“We deeply respect the right of our nurses to participate in the election and thank everyone who made their voices heard,” Sievert said. “Our priority remains focused on providing exceptional care for our patients and supporting our staff. Rush will work to ensure the validation process moves forward promptly.”

The union said in a news release Monday that the Rush nurses will soon begin negotiations with Rush for their first collective bargaining agreement.

The Rush nurses filed their petition in April with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United already represented more than 7,000 registered nurses in Chicago, including at University of Chicago Medical Center, Jackson Park Hospital and Medical Center and Cook County Health. A different nurses union, the Illinois Nurses Association, represents nurses at University of Illinois Hospital.

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