Nurses' strike (12,000) ends in Twin Cities

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Star Tribune

By CURT BROWN, Star Tribune

Nurses laid down rain-drenched picket signs and went back to work Friday, but the end of their massive one-day strike didn't mean an end to the acrimony between their union and management at 14 Twin Cities hospitals.

"I've never seen more security officers in my life - did they think we were going to hurt somebody?" said Sue Truhler, a diabetes educator at United Hospital in St. Paul. "We were treated like criminals. It feels good to go back to work, but it's difficult because there was a lot of pain and hurt feelings."

She filed in to a conference room at 7 a.m. with dozens of nurses, who were gradually called up to their floors. United spokeswoman Terri Dresen said the hospital had 187 patients, about half its usual census, and it would be 24 to 48 hours before patient and nurse numbers were back to normal. Replacement nurses were on their way home as the striking nurses returned to work.

Carrying signs that read: "Patients over Profits" and "Safe Staffing Now," nurses picketed through overnight thunderstorms.


Read more: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/96132824.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciaec8O7EyUsl

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Video at link.

[Warpy]

1. Oh, please, the show of force was just more bullying by management

They hoped all those sweet young things would burst into tears and run home to their husbands.

They don't know their nurses very well.

Now those nurses are even more pissed off and less likely to accept a compromise.