OSF St. Francis Nurses May Be Close to Strike

Nurses at OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba may be on their way to going on strike.

The negotiating committee for the nurses’ union asked members whether or not they wanted a strike.

95% of the nurses voted ‘yes’.

But the union says they’d like to avoid that if possible.

They say contract talks with hospital administration broke down last week.

Even with the help of a federal mediator, the 2 sides couldn’t reach an agreement.

The nurses at OSF St. Francis have worked without a contract since the end of April.

The union says it can’t make any more concessions in the talks and that, in light of the recession, the nurses can’t afford to go without a cost-of-living pay increase.