Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center were not allowed to return to work Sept. 21 after their strike but will be able to do so Sept. 25, according to WLS-TV.
More than 2,000 nurses walked off the job Sept. 20 in a strike organized by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United. The union, which has expressed concerns about staffing and pay at the 618-bed hospital, had said it would call a strike if issues raised in negotiations weren't resolved. A strike was set for Sept. 20 and took place as planned after negotiations broke down.
While the union called a one-day strike beginning at 7 a.m. Sept. 20, nurses were not able to return to work when they attempted to do so Sept. 21, according to WLS.
Hospital officials told the station union nurses won't be allowed to return to work until Sept. 25, per a five-day work guarantee stipulated in contracts the medical center made with temporary nurses who were hired to replace striking ones.
The nurses' last contract expired in April.