Nurses at Ascension St. Joseph Joliet hospital began a strike Tuesday as part of a call for higher wages and increased staffing levels.

       The nurses originally called for a two-day strike, but the event doubled in length after the hospital contracted with a staffing agency to bring in replacement nurses for four days, the minimum amount of time it could contractually commit to.

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       The strike, which involves 517 nurses who are organized through the Illinois Nurses Association, is the second one at St. Joseph since August.

       “We are disappointed Illinois Nurses Association has made the decision to proceed with its second two-day strike in three months, especially given both bargaining teams have been engaging in good faith bargaining through the formal mediation process with a federal mediator,” hospital spokesperson Olga Solares said in a written statement. “Safe, high-quality patient care remains our top priority, and Ascension Saint Joseph - Joliet is well prepared to remain open and care for our patients during this unfortunate short-term strike.”

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       Robyn Richards, a nurse at the hospital, said in a statement that “Ascension is trying to force us to agree to take on jobs we are untrained for and accept a pay scale that will continue to lose staff to nearby hospitals. We are striking because that just won’t work for his hospital or for Joliet.”