Howard University Hospital nurses strike following breakdown of labor union negotiations

WASHINGTON - Nurses at Howard University Hospital have gone on strike Monday morning for 24 hours following months of labor union negotiations that have broken down.

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The strike is set to start at 7:30 a.m. with picketing and rallies expected throughout the day.

The D.C. Nurses Association announced the strike over a week ago so the hospital had time to prepare.

Howard University Hospital CEO Anita Jenkins said patient care will not be impacted.

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"Absolutely not. We have looked at every single inch of our hospital and between the contracted nurses that we have coming in and our nurse managers and directors that of course are nurses, we have the staffing we need to take care of that team," said Jenkins Sunday night. "Our patients come first."

The nurse’s union said they don’t seek to interfere with patient care.

"The difference between a healthcare strike and a construction strike if you will, this is not our desire to hurt patients at all," said Edward Smith, Executive Director of DCNA. "It is our desire to make sure the public knows management has to give respect to employees who have earned respect."

Nurses from the hospital protested in January with complaints of being overworked and understaffed.

Contract negotiations continued, but the union says there’s still no agreement on how to alleviate staffing concerns.

"Two other major issues deal with compensation," said Smith

Smith said while the hospital has already given nurses a raises, even before the contract is signed, there are still discrepancies over the extra pay nurses get for working certain shifts. Currently, nurses with more seniority get more money than new nurses. The hospital wants make that amount equal for all, which means it would be lower for senior nurses. "What we are offering is that everyone gets an equal shift differential so we can be competitive with our new nurses," said Jenkins.

Jenkins said nurses have the right to voice their opinions and the hospital wants to reach an agreement soon.

"We’re all going to come back to the table, I’m confident of that," she said.