Associated Press, March 2, 2006

Registered nurses who work for Cook County have voted to authorize a strike if negotiators fail to reach an agreement, union officials said Thursday.

Fernando Losada of the National Nurses Organizing Committee said the vote may motivate the county to listen to the nurses' concerns about pay and staffing levels when talks begin again Friday.

The union and the county have been negotiating since September.

Ninety-six percent of nurses voted to authorize a strike if an agreement can't be reached. Nearly 1,200 members voted during the past three days, Losada said. ... Cook