STANFORD: Nurses Threaten Strike If Demands Not Met
Nurses at Stanford University Medical Center and Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto have threatened to strike if the hospitals fail to address a number of workplace issues, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Warning that they will walk off the job at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the nurses are requesting a ban on mandatory overtime and a pay increase. Starting pay for a nurse at Stanford Medical Center is $25 per hour; the nurses want a 12% hike after the first year. They also hope to end a policy that prohibits nurses from receiving medical care from doctors with whom they work. Kim Griffin, spokesperson for the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement, indicated that the 1,750 nurses are prepared to "strike for as long as it is necessary to make a settlement." Negotiations for a new nurses' contract have been in progress since March 12. Although Stanford is in search of replacements for the nurses in the event of a strike, Griffin cautions that it could endanger the public's safety, as the replacements will only be "given an orientation in a hotel room and brought directly to work." Stanford officials were unavailable for comment on the issue (6/5).
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