WORCESTER, Mass. — At 148 days, the Saint Vincent Hospital strike is now the longest nurse’s strike in the nation in over a decade.

Talks are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. A federal mediator scheduled the talks between the nurses and Tenet Healthcare management. The nurses, who are asking for staffing and patient care improvements, say they are hopeful they can come to a settlement.

"[We] think it's always a good sign when you return to the table and there's dialog," said Marlena Pellegrino, co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association Bargaining Unit. "You know, it's never always a smooth road, but if you're not sitting at the table across from one another, progress can't be made. So anytime you're doing that, that means you're getting closer to the goal of safe staffing and returning to work which is what we want to do."

Tenet announced last week that they were cutting back services due to the striking nurses.