By Jesse Russell

Nurses are back on the picket lines in Dubuque. Jesse Russell reports.

Represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 199, nurses at Dubuque's Finley Hospital are taking part in their second strike in two months. The reasons are the same as last time, with employees unhappy with the treatment they are receiving from the hospital in contract negotiations. The hospital has lowered a wage increase from three percent to two percent, a move the union says is borderline union-busting. The nurses have been working under an expired contract since June. They are seeking changes in overtime and discipline rules. To cope with the three-day strike the hospital has brought in replacement workers. Both sides have expressed an interest in sitting back down at the bargaining table, but no negotiations have been scheduled.