On this day in Labor History the year was 1966.
That was the day the registered nurses of the Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association walked out of their jobs.
Nursing could be a grueling profession, with long hours of physical labor for low pay.
In Youngstown, the nurses were frustrated because there were inconsistencies in pay.
Some recently hired nurses made more than those who had been working for years.
Part time nurses did not receive the same wage increases as full time employees.
They also did not feel that they had enough say in delivering quality care for their patients.
When they asked to meet with the hospitals executive director to discuss their concerns, the nurses were rebuffed.
They then contacted the Ohio Nurses Association union and asked for help.
Youngstown was a steel town, a union town, and the nurses were ready to join in the local labor movement.
At first the Youngstown Hospital Association refused to bargain with the union.
But when the nurses threatened to walk out, negotiations began.
After two months of talking at the bargaining table, major issues remained unsettled, including pay and union recognition.
Fed up, the nurses called for a mass resignation.
305 of 433 nurses turned in their resignations.
Two thirds of them were part time nurses.
They formed informational picket lines outside the hospitals.
A federal mediator was brought in to settle the dispute.
The nurses won significant gains.
They received a more than 25 percent over two years.
A grievance procedure was established for the first time.
But most importantly, the union gained recognition and the right to bargain for better wages, hours, and work conditions for nurses and their patients.
October 29 - Alice Doesn’t Day
October 28 - The Pony Express
October 27 - The 1948 Donora Smog
October 26 - America’s Florence Nightingale
October 25 - NY Daily News On Strike!
October 24 - Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for What We Will!
October 23 - John Sweeney is Elected
October 22 - Pretty Boy Floyd Is Gunned Down
October 21 - Through Rain, Sleet, Snow & Anthrax
October 20 - Remembering Debs
October 19 - Tragedy on the Tracks
October 18 - Voice of an Era
October 17 - Fighting to End Poverty
October 16 - Thank A Farmer
October 15 - Too Little, Too Late for Radiation Sickness
October 14 - Marching for Equality
October 13 - We Whipped the Ivy League and You Can Too!
October 12 - Workers Begin to Come Together
October 11 - Remembering Mary Heaton Vorse
October 10 - With a Push of a Button, Oceans Are Joined
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