Striking Temple nurses approach Friday payday

Striking nurses at Temple University Hospital have been walking the picket line for nearly two weeks. Friday is payday for many of them, and getting a smaller-than-usual paycheck could test their resolve.

Striking nurses at Temple University Hospital have been walking the picket line for nearly two weeks. Friday is payday for many of them, and getting a smaller-than-usual paycheck could test their resolve.

Nurses usually pick up a check every two weeks, but Friday’s check will included only two or three days’ pay.

Registered nurse Leeanna Williams already had a part-time nursing job before the strike began but she says she’s still worried about covering her bills and paying taxes on April 15th.

Williams says wages are not her biggest concern in the negotiations with Temple management. She wants the hospital to restore a college tuition benefit for children of employees.

Williams: I, as a Temple employee, was told to come on board, and: ‘We promise to cover your children’s tuition.’ I have a daughter in the 11th grade and they snatched that tuition away from me, I didn’t have a Plan B because my faith was in my employer.

Temple’s CEO says several hospitals in the region do not offer the tuition perk.

The nurses union does not provide strike pay but will try to help workers who are in serious financial bind.

Union officials say salaries for nurses at Temple range from the mid 50s to about $85,000 a year for RNs with decades of experience.