“An offer to return to work has been brokered with the governor, the speaker, the chair of the County Commission, the mayor …”

I didn’t even get to the details before everyone began screaming and clapping. I called for silence and insisted they let me explain the rest, because we needed to call the political leaders right away—they were holding the bosses hostage. Someone made a motion and it was all over. Then D Taylor whispered to me that he wanted to speak. I introduced him with a great deal of affection and acknowledged the crucial role he had been playing. The workers gave him a standing ovation.

“I have run a lot of strikes in Nevada over the past twenty years. A few of them went on for more than one year, one of them lasted seven years, and, never, ever did the governor of the state even call me, let alone broker a settlement. You are nurses, and I hope you understand now that when you choose to exercise it, you have a lot of power.”

The house came down.