Emily Udell, Chicago Defender, March 3, 2006

Registered nurses across Cook County voted Thursday to authorize their union to strike.

More than 50 people gathered near the emergency entrance of John H. Stroger, Jr., Hospital, at 1901 W. Harrison St., to support a walkout that would affect 1,800 nurses in area health facilities, including critical care centers.

"We needed a mandate from these nurses and now we have it," said Sheilah Garland-Olaniran, a coordinator for the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association. ... Cook