Workers Plan Strike at Nine Sutter Hospitals in Bay Area

Workers at nine Sutter Health-owned Bay area medical facilities will strike for three days beginning Monday if contract negotiations do not progress, the Bay City News Service/Contra Costa Times reports. Officials from the Service Employees International Union Local 250 "warned" Sutter officials that 2,300 workers, including registered and licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists and radiology technicians, would stage a walk-out next week if negotiators fail to reach agreement on staffing levels and patient care issues (Bay City News Service/Contra Costa Times, 4/11). Yesterday's announcement comes just weeks after the union postponed a similarly planned strike after Sutter officials agreed to resume negotiations (California Healthline, 4/2). The strike will affect Alta Bates Medical Center and Alta Bates Herrick in Berkeley, Summit Medical Center in Oakland, Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport and California Pacific Medical Center's three campuses in San Francisco (San Jose Mercury News, 4/12).