Year-round Health Means Winter Work

3 Arrested Following Drug Raids

Wednesday, January 21, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2A 





Mercy strike of 1983 brought hard times &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 17-day-long action was about fringe benefits and layoff policiesMercy
Hospital in Wilkes-Barre experience a strike in November 1983 when about 670
unionized registered nurses, dietitians, technicians and maintenance workers
walked out. The contract dispute centered on fringe benefits and layoff
policies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Times Leader reported: "Nurses who once cared for patients now care for
bonfires that warm them on the picket line. They chop wood and orange crates
to feed the fires in tall metal trash cans on the sidewalks outside Mercy
hospital." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mercy transferred about three-quarters of its patients- more than 100- to
four area hospitals. Management personnel cared for the 60 who remained.
Corridors in the hospital were darkened and quiet as management juggled
paperwork and attending physicians decided if their patients should stay or
go. Some patients were scared and upset when told they would be moving. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hospital administrator Sister Jo Anne Jones told The Times Leader there
were no plans to close Mercy, nor were there any plans to hire non-union
workers to take place of strikers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As the strike continued, area hospitals said they could handle the influx
of patients, but warned they might have to tighten admissions policies and in
some cases, add staff if Mercy was forced to close. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mercy hospital was trying to maintain its patient population at 70. Most
outpatient services, including the emergency room continued, although some
medical tests were rescheduled. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some union members chose to cross the picket line, but paid a high price
for that decision. Their striking colleagues erected an 8-foot sign on the
sidewalk listing their names under the heading "Scabs." One worker said
someone spray-painted SCAB on her driveway. Others said their families were
threatened with vandalism to their cars and homes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mercy Hospital arranged for returning workers to come back under tight
security. Most returning workers did not want to be identified because they
feared violence against their families. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This isn't a steel mill or a factory. This is a hospital," one returning
worker said. "During a time of crisis like the flood (of 1972) we all pulled
together, side by side, slinging mud and protecting patients; we are like
family." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A striker said he hoped the strike would end. "But I'll stay out here right
with them, even though, God bless, m

Mercy Strike Of 1983 Brought Hard Times The 17-day-long Action Was About Fringe Benefits And Layoff Policies.