Nurses return to work after strike

Five days after staging a 24-hour strike, nurses returned to Washington Hospital Center on Wednesday.

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The nurses had been barred from returning to work -- they called it a lockout -- because the hospital had brought in temporary nurses to cover shifts during the strike. Temporary nurses had to be paid for a full workweek, the hospital explained, meaning workers who struck couldn't return to work until Wednesday.

Because of reported hostility between nurses who went on strike and those who broke the picket line, the nurses' union issued a statement saying it would not tolerate problems between nurses.

The hospital also said it would not tolerate any discord.

Hospital spokeswoman So Young Pak described the nurses' return as "smooth and peaceful" and said there were no "reports of disruptions in patient care or nursing routines."

The hospital declined to give an ABC7 News crew access to some wards of the hospital on Wednesday.

This story will be updated as events warrant.

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