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.
February 27 - The 1937 Woolworth Sit-Down
February 26 - The Battle at Bethlehem
February 25 - The Paterson Silk Strike Begins
February 24 - Muller v Oregon Decided
February 23 - Black Workers Lead Historic Strike at UNC
February 22 - Labelling Teachers as Terrorists
February 21 - The First Female Telephone Operator
February 20 - Angelina Grimke is Born
February 19 - Philly Street Car Workers Spark General Strike
February 18 - Anti-Slavery Begins in America
February 17 - Standing Up By Sitting Down
February 16 - The Wisconsin Uprising Begins
February 15 - The Uprising of the 20,000 Comes to a Close
February 14 - Kansas City Laundresses Walk Off the Job
February 13 - Martial Law Declared to Crush the UAW
February 12 - The NAACP is Founded
February 11 - Cutting Corners on Safety at Sequoyah I
February 10 - Forty-Three Workers Buried Alive
February 9 - Organizing Bloody Harlan
February 8 - Butte Copper Miners Join the 1919 Strike Wave
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Regenerative Skills
The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall
The No-Frills Teacher Podcast
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast