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By Doug Cunningham

Eight hundred nurses represented by United American Nurses will soon be in the second month of their strike against Appalachian Regional Healthcare. The hospital chain was founded by John L. Lewis and the United Mine Workers of America. But it has become a union-busting wannabe outfit that employed anti-union consultants even before it started negotiations with the nurses.
Staffing, patient care, mandatory overtime and defense of health and pension benefits are all issues in the strike. The nurses are getting strong support from the United Mine Workers of America, their communities, the UAW and from the AFL-CIO. The picket lines are spirited and the statue of John L. Lewis in front of one of the hospitals being struck is even carrying his own strike sign in support of the nurses.