Nearly a year of resentful contract negotiations reached the
zenith Friday, March 4, when several hundred nurses at Washington Hospital Center, the regions
biggest hospital walked out from their duties for a one-day strike.
Hospital officials flew in 600 substitute nurses from around the country, to
help care for patients. The substitute nurses were accommodated in area hotels
and traveled by bus to the Northwest D.C.
facility. A media campaign with print
and radio advertisements, which the hospital officials started doing, promising
to keep the facility fully staffed and running as usual.
The Washington Hospital Center
nurses? contract came to an end last spring, and the two sides have been antagonistic
with each other since then over wages, benefits, staffing, and patient safety. The
public didn?t have any clue, as of Friday afternoon, on whether either side is
willing to make adjustments essential to end the conflict.
The picket was scheduled to finish by 7 a.m. Saturday; however the union
will carry on the strike if the hospital carries on with its threat to lock out
picketing nurses for five days. Hospital officials declared picketing nurses?
wages will be on hold and they won?t be permitted to go back to work until
Wednesday, March 9.