Editorial: Patient care in jeopardy

Friday, Dec. 1, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

While a nurses strike at Valley Hospital Medical Center and Desert Springs Hospital appears inevitable for Monday morning, we believe there is still time today and over the weekend to avoid it.

The two private hospitals are owned by Universal Health Systems, whose executives should work nonstop and in a more conciliatory mood to head off what would be Las Vegas' first strike by nurses. An estimated 940 nurses and technicians are ready to walk if agreement is not reached by 7 a.m. Monday.

Representing the nurses is the Service Employees International Union Local 1107, which negotiated contracts with other area hospitals and is asking the same from Universal Health Systems. The union wants to reach agreement on staffing, the nurses' retirement fund and other issues such as the way nurses are treated.

Managers at the hospitals downplay the threat to patient care by saying that any striking nurses will be replaced by employees of U.S. Nursing Corp., a company that provides replacements during strikes.

But logic dictates that an entire nursing staff cannot suddenly be replaced by outsiders, no matter their qualifications, without severe disruptions in patient care.

Nurses work long hours under the most stressful conditions and deserve contracts that reflect their skills and dedication. We urge Universal Health Systems to bargain in better faith.