Interesting story on the AP before Christnas, about West Virginia nurses:

“LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Hundreds of striking nurses from eastern Kentucky and West Virginia voted Saturday night to ratify a new contract with the region’s largest health care provider.
More than 600 of the Appalachian Regional Healthcare hospital system’s 750 registered nurses walked off the job on Oct. 1 and about 500 remained on strike before an agreement was reached this week.
Negotiators for the nurses had criticized back-to-work conditions proposed by the hospital system that included recognizing replacement workers as permanent employees. The hospital has hired about 150 replacements.
“We know that our nurses and our communities are as glad as management that this strike is over,” Appalachian Regional’s President and CEO, Jerry W. Haynes said in a statement Saturday night.
A statement from the nurses said most workers will be called back to work by the end of January and that the company has agreed to try to return at least 80 percent of striking workers back to where they were before the stoppage.”

Sad state of affairs when we don’t pay our nurses enough. What do the hospital CEO’s make? What about shareholders of healthcare companies – in a good year, they get dividends… too bad the nurses don’t get dividends!