BAKERSFIELD: CNA Gives Hospital Notice of Upcoming Strike
The California Nurses Association announced Monday that the nursing staff at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is planning to strike from Dec. 24-28 if they are unsuccessful in negotiating a contract this week, the Bakersfield Californian reports. The strike would be the second in as many months, as Bakersfield Memorial nurses walked out over the Thanksgiving holiday. According to union representatives, the Nov. 23 strike was designed to "bring hospital officials back to the [bargaining] table." But John Omel, regional director of human resources for Catholic Healthcare West Central California, expressed disappointment with the nurses' decisions, noting, "This is no way to get a contract." Union and management officials will meet tomorrow to discuss contract proposals. Bakersfield Memorial administrators plan to hire nurses to fill the void during the strike. During two of this year's three previous nursing strikes, the temporary hires stayed for five days and striking nurses were not allowed to return to work until the short-term staff left (Terwilleger, 12/13).
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