Manchin Wades Into Nurses' Strike

Aides to Gov. Joe Manchin will be on hand to observe talks in between Appalachian Regional Healthcare and striking nurses, The Charleston Gazette reports.

The negotiations in Lexington, Ky., aim to resolve a strike that began Sept. 30 at nine hospitals in that state and West Virginia.

"When the strike began, ARH had more than 700 registered nurses working at nine facilities, including hospitals in Beckley and Hinton, as well as seven hospitals in Kentucky," the Gazette reports.

Since then the hospitals "have hired hundreds of nurses to work during the strike, including 150 permanent replacement workers," the article said.

Several striking nurses from Beckley visited Manchin on Tuesday to make their case. "Both the union and hospital management agreed to let Manchin’s representative sit in on the talks," one of these nurses told The Gazette.