(Washington, DC) — A strike by nurses at Washington Hospital Center is set to begin at 7 a.m. Nurses say the stand-off is about patient care, but the hospital says it’s about money. While most issues have been resolved, one sticking point is differential or hardship pay for working overnights or weekends. Right now, the hospital pays a percentage of the nurses’ base wage and it wants a flat rate. Nurses say they will lose money under that proposal. The nurses are planning a 24-hour walkout, but hospital officials say because they have to pay replacement nurses for 60-hours, they will lock out union nurses for four more days.
