• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Health / Medicine / Nurses at Dubuque hospital threatening to strike

Nurses at Dubuque hospital threatening to strike

May 19, 2005 By admin

Nurses who rejected the latest contract offer from Dubuque’s Finley hospital may vote to go on strike. Linda Merfeld is a spokeswoman for Service Employees International Union Local 199 “We told the hospital that the nurses wouldn’t accept this contract and we are stronger now than ever before,” she says. “I think it is very apparent that the nurses need something better.” A key part of the most recent contract offer was a three-percent increase in pay. “We need a contract that not only recruits new nurses, but also retains the nurses we have. We need some respect shown to us in this contract and that’s why we turned it down,” she says. Finley Hospital CEO John Knox says administrators and nurses have agreed to 17 articles so far. “So what remains is the wages, obviously, and some debate about certain other benefits that impact our costs as well, but really there is not a huge amount left on the table.” Knox says one issue the hospital won’t budge on is a proposed “nursing council” that would be made up of an equal number of nurses and administrators. He says Finley’s fully willing to have nurse input on how to improve nursing practice and care at the hospital, but will not let the committee decide on staffing ratios at the hospital. He says they don’t get to make that call at most other hospitals, either. Now that the nurses have turned down the latest contract offer, mediation will start immediately. If it doesn’t get results, the union will issue a ten-day strike notice. Hospital administrators say they have backup nurses they can call in if a strike does happen.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Health / Medicine

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

Drake’s Roman Penn lost for the season

Drake’s DeVries named to Naismith watch list

State wrestling opens with limited attendance

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC