As two large, Catholic hospital chains—St. Joseph Health and Providence Health and Services—celebrate their official merger this week, nurses at three of the chains’ California hospitals are marking the alliance with a strike vote, California Nurses Association announced today.

Nurses at Aroostook Medical Center (TAMC) in Presque Isle voted by an overwhelming majority on Wednesday to authorize a three-day strike, Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) announced today.

The more than 450 nurses of Lawrence General Hospital, who are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, voted this week to ratify a new union contract after more than nine months of negotiations.

Legislation that could remedy one of the least-reported problems in U.S. hospitals – the warehousing of patients in “observation status,” which accords fewer protections than other hospital patients are given, and also exposes many patients to economic jeopardy – is nearing the governor’s desk.

Nurses, elected leaders and community members will hold a press conference at Huntington Hospital today at 10:30 a.m. to celebrate a recent milestone settlement agreement between California Nurses Association (CNA) and the hospital.

By now, we have all seen the terrible images and descriptions of the flooding in West Virginia last week, which came without warning and left unimaginable wreckage. Twenty-three people are dead, and hundreds remain in shelters, as well as thousands of homes and businesses left damaged by the storms that are called “training” because the thunderstorms are lined up like train cars.

National Nurses United today condemned the vote of the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee meeting in St. Louis for its vote late Friday night to reject a proposal to place a commitment to “fighting for Medicare for all” in the party’s platform to be adopted at the Democratic convention next month.