Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the 20 or so Democrats running for president, is weighing in on the strike at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, which entered its fifth day Friday.
“Nurses and staff at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo should not be working 20-hour shifts without decent health insurance, while the CEO of Mercy Health makes $1.7 million,” Mr. Sanders said in a tweet. “@UAW nurses and staff in Toledo deserve fair pay, health care and work schedules.
Nurses and staff at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo should not be working 20-hour shifts without decent health insurance, while the CEO of Mercy Health makes $1.7 million.@UAW nurses and staff in Toledo deserve fair pay, health care and work schedules.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 10, 2019
“Without a strong, dedicated nursing workforce, no hospital can provide the quality care patients deserve. This #NationalNursesWeek and every week, we say to our nurses: Thank you for the difficult and important work you do, and we are with you.”
With Mr. Sanders taking notice, the ongoing strike in Toledo has started to gain national exposure. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), who was considering a run for president, was expected to join the picket line 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Mr. Sanders was in the Midwest last month for his presidential bid, making stops in Warren, Mich., Lordstown, Ohio, and Pittsburgh. In Ohio, the self-described democratic socialist and independent senator — one of the highest-polling Democrats in a crowded primary field — met with UAW members from General Motors’ closed Chevrolet Cruze plant. Lordstown has become a popular stop for high-profile politicians and presidential candidates swinging through the state. The plant is within the district of Rep. Tim Ryan, who’s mounting a longshot bid for president.
In Warren, Mr. Sanders accused President Trump of lying to the Midwest, setting the stage for the war Democrats will wage to win back the key battleground states they lost to Mr. Trump in 2016.
“When he was running for president, the very biggest lie that he told here in Michigan, Wisconsin, and all over this country, was that he was going to stand with the working class of our country, that he was on their side, and that he would take on powerful special interests to take on working families,” Mr. Sanders said at the rally.
Nearly 1,900 nurses, lab technicians, and hospital support staffers have staged a walkout amid an impasse between St. Vincent and the United Auto Workers. Negotiations stalled over out-of-pocket health care costs and on-call hours.
On Thursday, Toledo Mayor Kapszukiewicz, a Democrat, called for both sides to come back to the bargaining table.
“The time has come to bring this to closure,” the mayor said. Both sides “need to be willing to give in, to budge on this, or it’s just a show.”
First Published May 10, 2019, 3:15 p.m.
