Lorain's Mercy Regional Medical Center nurses will not strike

LORAIN, Ohio - Over 500 registered nurses represented by the Service Employees International Union District 1199 at Mercy Regional Medical Center have voted in favor of a new three-year contract that allows nurses to stay on the job and continue to deliver quality patient care to the community.

According to a press release, after voting to approve the contract, nurses announced that they in fact will not go on strike as previously planned midday October 19th.

"The registered nurses of Mercy Regional Medical Center care about the patients this hospital serves and this new agreement is a testimony to their devotion to this community and to their professions," said Al Bacon, Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union District 1199 and chief negotiator for the nurses. "This contract is a product of cooperation by the nurses and the hospital in the interest of patient care."

"The registered nurses of Mercy Regional Medical Center were moved by the overwhelming amount of support shown by the greater-Lorain community," continued Secretary-Treasurer Bacon. "The countless calls, emails and demonstration of solidarity from patients, clergy and labor were an inspiration to the hard-working caregivers at the hospital."

While the final details of the new three-year collective bargaining agreement are confidential, nurses feel the new contract will allow them to continue to provide top-level, quality care to the community and maintain dignity, rights and respect at the hospital.