Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., has started training replacement nurses and technicians who will fill in during a union strike scheduled to begin Nov. 27, according to a report by The Day.
Two local chapters of AFT Connecticut represent roughly 800 nurses and technicians at L+M, and members of both chapters will walk out for four days starting Wednesday.
The contract between the hospital and the union expired Nov. 16. Negotiations have continued, with another session scheduled for Tuesday, according to the report. A hospital official told The Day she is not very confident an agreement will be reached in time to avert the strike.
A union leader said in a news release: "We remain hopeful that we can reach a mutual agreement and avoid a strike. However, we are standing strong and won't be bullied into giving up on our patients and our community."
If the strike does occur, L+M officials have said the hospital will "lockout" participating employees starting Dec. 1, according to the report. The lockout will prevent the employees from returning to work until a contract agreement is reached.
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