Strike Planned for Eight Sutter Hospitals in Bay Area
The latest in a series of Bay Area hospital strikes is scheduled to begin Monday, as nurses and technical staff members at eight Bay Area Sutter Health-owned hospitals are planning a three-day walk-out, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. Officials of Service Employees International Union Local 250, which represents the workers, said that the strike was prompted by 11 months of negotiations that have "failed" to resolve disputes over issues such as salaries and staffing levels at the facilities. The Press-Democrat reports that Sutter Health is the last health system to have an unresolved labor contract with the union. Both Kaiser Permanente and Catholic Healthcare West have signed contracts with Local 250. The strike will affect eight hospitals -- Sutter Lakeside in Lakeport, Alta Bates Medical Center and the Herrick Campus in Berkeley, Summit Medical Center in Oakland, Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo and the California Pacific Medical Center, including its Pacific and Davies campuses. Sutter Health officials said they plan to keep all facilities open and staff them with non-union personnel and temporary workers (Rose, Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, 3/29).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.