Kadlec nurses still on the job after authorizing strike

RICHLAND, Wash. -- Kadlec nurses voted on and approved a potential strike after more than a year of contract negotiations.

But they told Action News a strike vote doesn't signal immediate change.

Negotiators say striking is still a ways off, though the vote makes it very clear that nurses aren't backing down

Registered nurse Meri Bukovinsky has worked with Kadlec for six years and is on the union's negotiation team.

"It's not the Kadlec I originally started working for," she says. "We're fighting to have a fair contract to keep exactly what we have."