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.
December 28 - Heroes in Space
December 27 - Musicians Fight Back
December 26 - Garment Workers Rise Up
December 25 - Debs Released; Real Gift is His Message
December 24 - A Christmas Eve Beating for Striking Workers
December 23 - The High Cost of Low Wages
December 21 - Red Scare Deportations Begin
December 20 - THE UNION IS DISSOLVED!!!
December 19 - Solidarity Gets the Goods!
December 18 - No More Beer
December 17 - Unraveling Anti-Japanese Hysteria
December 16 - No Justice, No Bagels!
December 15 - Troops Put Down the Mother’s March
December 14 - Another Hard Fought Victory
December 13 - The Beginning of the End of Apartheid
December 12 - We Disaffiliate!
December 11 - Right to Work is a Lie!
December 10 - August Spies is Born
December 9 - The Cordiner Doctrine
December 8 - The American Federation of Labor is Founded
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