The third season of St. Elsewhere opens with a short arc about a nurses' strike. It's an interesting story, especially since it adds a new dimension to the working relationship between head nurse Helen Rosenthal (Christina Pickles) and veteran administrator Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) who sit on opposite sides of the bargaining table.
The story shows the need for a compromise and there are long-term ramifications on St. Eligius' budget when some concessions must be made to keep the nurses happy. I have to chuckle at how Dr. Auschlander is a bit arrogant at first, then gradually realizes that Rosenthal and her group are a force to be reckoned with, when they vote to strike.
Into this mix a labor negotiator (Herb Edelman) is introduced. He becomes a new love interest for Rosenthal.
Nurse Lucy Papandrao (Jennifer Savidge), who will later become the second Mrs. Victor Ehrlich, helps to lead the strike with Rosenthal. Meanwhile nurse Shirley Daniels (Ellen Bry, wife of writer-producer John Masius) continues to work her usual shifts. They can't all go out on the picket line, or else the hospital would close.
The story shows the need for a compromise and there are long-term ramifications on St. Eligius' budget when some concessions must be made to keep the nurses happy. I have to chuckle at how Dr. Auschlander is a bit arrogant at first, then gradually realizes that Rosenthal and her group are a force to be reckoned with, when they vote to strike.
Into this mix a labor negotiator (Herb Edelman) is introduced. He becomes a new love interest for Rosenthal.
Nurse Lucy Papandrao (Jennifer Savidge), who will later become the second Mrs. Victor Ehrlich, helps to lead the strike with Rosenthal. Meanwhile nurse Shirley Daniels (Ellen Bry, wife of writer-producer John Masius) continues to work her usual shifts. They can't all go out on the picket line, or else the hospital would close.