Mercy Hospital Nurses Avoid Strike
LORAIN, Ohio — More than 500 registered nurses have voted on a new contract and avoided a strike.
If the three-year agreement had failed to pass, the nurses planned to strike at noon on October 19th.
Chief negotiator for the nurses, Al Bacon of the Service Employees International Union District 1199, said the following on their behalf:
“The registered nurses of Mercy Regional Medical Center care about the patients this hospital serves and this new agreement is a testimony to their devotion to this community and to their professions. This contract is a product of cooperation by the nurses and the hospital in the interest of patient care. The registered nurses of Mercy Regional Medical Center were moved by the overwhelming amount of support shown by the greater-Lorain community. The countless calls, emails and demonstration of solidarity from patients, clergy and labor were an inspiration to the hard-working caregivers at the hospital.”
The nurses initially planned to strike over several issues, including safe staffing ratios and salary concerns.
The details on their new agreement are confidential.
