4,000 RNs at 8 Sutter Hospitals To Strike Over Patient Care Problems

10-Day Strike Begins Friday - Nurses Prepare Thursday 2 pm

Some 4,000 registered nurses at eight Bay Area facilities will begin a 10-day strike against Sutter Health on Friday, over serious problems with patient care, medical redlining, and healthcare for nurses, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee reports.

Nurses will be making final preparations for the strike Thursday March 20, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the CNA headquarters, 2000 Franklin St. in Oakland. RNs will walk the picket line from Friday March 21 to Sunday March 30; a full schedule is below.

At the same time, 500 RNs from Fremont-Rideout Health Group in Yuba City and Marysville will embark on a one-day strike of their own. Indicative of management’s hostile attitude to their nurses, the RNs will be locked out of that facility for an additional 10 days.

Thousands of RNs have struck Sutter facilities twice already, though this is the first 10-day strike. The key reason for the walkouts is the pattern of patient safety risks caused by Sutter’s refusal to schedule RNs to care for patients when nurses are on legally-mandated meal or rest breaks. Such scheduling gaps leave patients unattended and at risk for sentinel events. Nurses are also concerned over Sutter’s practice of medical redlining by closing hospitals in medically underserved areas (St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco and San Leandro Hospital), and their refusal to agree to fair settlements on issues of healthcare and retiree healthcare and pensions.

“Sutter cannot expect RNs to sit idly by and watch the ongoing problems with patient care and patient safety at our hospitals. When there are not enough nurses, patients are put at risk, period. We don’t want to strike, but our ethical obligation as patient advocates demands it,” added Sharon Tobin, an RN at Mills-Peninsula Hospital.

Following in a general schedule, with media events underlined; details will be sent out each day:

Thursday March 20, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.: RNs prepare for strike at CNA headquarters, 2000 Franklin St., Oakland
Friday March 21, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: RNs picket every facility. Kickoff event 7 am, Summit Medical Center, and major rally 12 noon Summit Medical Center
Saturday March 22, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.: “Family Day” on the picket line, with kids’ activities, facepainting, BBQ. Major rally, 12 noon, California Pacific Medical Center, California campus
Easter Sunday, March 23, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Community and family events at all picket lines
Monday March 24 through Sunday March 30, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Picketing at all facilities, noon rallies at all facilities.

Monday March 24, 5:30 p.m.: New Orleans-style Funeral Procession to St. Luke’s with local elected officials; starts at St. Anthony Church, 3215 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco, and continues to St. Luke’s
Wednesday March 26, 5:30 p.m.: Candlelight vigil, San Leandro Hospital with local elected officials
Sunday, March 30, 12 Noon: Major rally at CPMC with elected officials

Monday March 31, 7 am—Nurses return to work

Sutter Hospitals Affected

Sutter hospitals affected are St. Luke’s Hospital and California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, San Leandro Hospital, Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center in Berkeley and Oakland, Mills-Peninsula Health Services in Burlingame and San Mateo, Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Sutter Delta in Antioch, and Sutter Solano in Vallejo.