That is not the point of a strike. Again, it was up to the hospital to find the staff (agency, travelers, flex nurses) in the event that a strike was to occur. They were given ample time to do that when it was clear that the union members were not backing down from patient ratios. This equates to safer working conditions. It really is a vicious cycle where the problem stems from not hiring enough nurses.

The hospital was notified of the strike happening way before it did. It was up to administration to staff up the units appropriately with qualified nurses who could take care of critically ill neonates. Why would the nurses who are on strike be guilty of anything other than wanting reasonable patient ratios and pay? It’s a tragedy that an infant died, but this just highlights the fact that you need qualified staff at the bedside. The strike could have been avoided if management and the union came up with a fair contract before the time came for a strike. The fact that management walked away from the bargaining table multiple times during negotiations led to a strike.