Unionized health care workers this week took aim at Northwestern Medicine, saying the health care system needs to hire more people before expanding the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Hospital workers and members of SEIU Healthcare Illinois spoke out on Tuesday. The workers said the health care system's flagship hospital in Streeterville is already dangerously understaffed.

Northwestern Medicine has a hearing next Tuesday in which it will ask to expand the ICU at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to make more room for emergency room admissions.

But workers said that alone will not shorten already long wait times.

"Space won't hurt, but it's not the main issue," said Anne Igoe, vice president of hospital and health systems for SEIU. "Instead of expanding the ICU in order to increase beds in the emergency department, they need to provide the necessary incentives to provide safe staffing across the hospital."

Hospital workers also said the ER gets backed up because there aren't enough people to clean rooms or transport patients to inpatient hospital rooms.