Appalachian Nurses Reject Contract

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5173363.html

By SAMIRA JAFARI Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A union representative for hundreds of nurses at nine hospitals in Kentucky and West Virginia says they will go on strike on Monday after rejecting a "final offer" over their contract with Appalachian Regional Healthcare _ the largest hospital system in the region.

"We are being forced to strike," said Pat Tanner, lead negotiator for the Kentucky and West Virginia nurses associations, on Friday. "We continue to try to get the company to the table. They have refused _ not us _ to negotiate."

The registered nurses voted down ARH's proposed contract 408-228 on Thursday night. The current contract expires midnight Sept. 30.

"The vote dictated there will be a strike on Monday," Tanner said.

For ARH officials, contract talks concluded on Wednesday with their "last, best and final offer," which promised an initial 2 percent pay raise _ that would increase to 3 percent over four years _ and flexible schedules that would allow nurses to choose either 10 or 12-hour shifts.

Since then, ARH has not indicated any interest in furthering the weeks-long negotiations.

FULL story at link.

[Warpy]

1. "If a strike ensues, we will hire permanent replacement nurses beginning on Monday."

Good luck to them and the Cubbies. What they'll end up doing is contracting with traveling nurse registries for scab nurses to keep the most profitable departments open. They will pay those nurses up to four times what they pay their regular staff (although the scab nurses won't see that much) for the duration of the strike.

What the article says are the demands all pertain to working conditions, conditions that have become so brutal in for profit healthcare that 50% of licensed RNs are no longer practicing. The nurses have already caved on things like uniform allowances.

None of these pricks ever expects those nice ladies in nursing uniforms to strike. I will be watching this one for a place to contribute to the strikers should this thing last for any appreciable time.