St. E's nurses union authorizes strike after failed negotiations

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Hundreds of nurses picket outside St. Elizabeth Medical Center on September 16, 2009. The picketing was a result of contract negotiations between the New York State Nurses Association and the medical center. (Earl Davis / WKTV)

By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: Oct 23, 2009 at 4:23 PM EDT

Story Updated: Oct 23, 2009 at 5:17 PM EDT

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The nurse's union at Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in has authorized a strike. This comes after several weeks of failed contract negotiations which have resulted in a very public battle.

Signs which read, "Saint Elizabeth's, listen to your nurses" dot lawns throughout central New York. NYSNA, the New York State Nurses Association, the union which represents more than 500 nurses at Saint Elizabeth's, is behind the signs as well as recent newspaper ads.

Both parties are back to the negotiating table on Monday. If the contract isn't resolved then, a union spokesperson says they could very well serve the strike notice to the hospital that day. That starts a clock ticking, and the nurses can actually go out on strike ten days from when the notice is served.

"We plan to sit down and meet with union representatives and work out a contract that is fair to all parties involved," says hospital spokesperson Sandra Fentiman.

So, what is the hospital's plan in the event more than 500 nurses go on strike? Fentiman says senior management will make those decisions if and when the time comes.

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