By Doug Cunningham

Chicago area nurses represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/ California Nurses Association have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike at the Cook County Bureau of Health Services. Talks are scheduled for today to continue to try to reach agreement on a fair contract for the nurses. No actual strike date has been set. Ninety seven percent of the roughly 1800 RN's at three hospitals, more than 20 community clinics, the Cook County jail in Chicago, four public health offices and the juvenile detention center voted to authorize the strike. Safe staffing levels and patient care protections are the central issues.