Nurses on Strike

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - More than 12,000 nurses have launched a one-day strike of 14 Minnesota hospitals in a dispute over staffing levels and pension benefits.

Nurses wearing red T-shirts and carrying signs began walking picket lines at 7 a.m. Thursday. At Abbott Northwestern near downtown Minneapolis, several hundred nurses were serenaded by another nurse playing "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes.

Sue Stamness, a nurse in the cardiology unit for 24 years, said the nurses were striking because they're concerned that patient safety is at risk from thin staffing.

Hospitals say patient safety is a top priority. They had arranged replacements for the nurses and the immediate effect of the strike was expected to be minimal.

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