December 1 Standing Up for Themselves and Their Patients

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.