EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio - East Liverpool Hospital administrators have responded to a threat by the Ohio Nurses Association to go on strike at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The hospital responded to a news release from the ONA that says sixteen hours of negotiations on Tuesday’s final scheduled day of bargaining failed to produce a new contract agreement with the hospital.

Saying that problems regarding nurses' retention at the hospital, the ONA says hospital negotiators declined an offer to extend the current contract in exchange for a strike delay.

Nurses say the hospital also refused to continue negotiations.

The 130-person nurses’ unit is operating on a contract extension that expires November 20 at 11:59 pm. This is the second contract extension, with previous expiration dates in June and mid-October.

The following statement was posted to the East Liverpool City Hospital Facebook page: