YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Susan Lowery, reference archivist at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, is featured in a recent blog post from the Ohio History Connection highlighting a significant moment in local labor history.
Titled “Youngstown Nurses on Strike,” the blog post explores the 1966 resignation and protest by general duty nurses at Youngstown’s North and South Side hospitals. Using archival materials now on display at the Steel Museum, including handmade posters and strike documentation, Lowery illustrates how nurses organized in response to inequities in pay, benefits and working conditions.
The Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association, formed in 1966 with support from the Ohio State Nurses Association, presented grievances to hospital administrators, citing disparities in compensation between full- and part-time staff and a lack of benefits such as sick leave and health insurance.
The exhibit and blog post shed light on the collective effort of these nurses, predominantly women, who were joined by supporters across the state. A Husband Committee was even formed to assist with publicity and logistics. Letters and donations poured in from across Ohio, affirming widespread support for the strike.
The eventual agreement reached between the nurses and the hospital established key workplace rights, including fairer wages, grievance procedures and paid benefits, followed by the addition of a pension plan the next year.
The materials curated by Lowery bring attention to the personal and collective stories behind the picket lines, amplifying the role of nurses as leaders in both health care and activism.
The full blog post can be read HERE.
Pictured at top: The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor.