Mills-Peninsula RNs Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize 10-day Strike Against Sutter

Nurses Concerned Over Serious Patient Care Problems, Medical Redlining

5,000 Nurses at 11 Facilities to Vote to Authorize Strike

In the face of a widespread and intense intimidation campaign  by Sutter Health, RNs from Mills-Peninsula Health Services voted overwhelmingly yesterday to authorize their bargaining teams to strike the hospital chain for up to ten days over serious issues of patient safety and patient care, as well as healthcare for nurses, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee reports today.

They join RNs from California Pacific Medical Center, Sutter Solano, Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center, and San Leandro Hospital in authorizing the strike.  Nurses from the other six facilities vote this week.

Christine Picard, an RN, described the intimidation campaign this way:

The public needs to know about the intimidation and harassment toward the nurses at Mills Peninsula hospital. This is occurring because we are advocating with 5,000 other Sutter nurses to prevent closures of our local hospitals such as St. Luke’s and for improved working conditions that benefit our patients.

Nurses have recently been targeted simply for reaching out to co-workers and expressing opinions. Someone is removing and throwing out the California Nurses Association fliers. An escort accompanies our labor representative; otherwise he cannot meet with us. A security guard has recently been stationed at the Family Birth Center elevator, to monitor our activities. Did they forget we are already on video surveillance in the Family Birth Center?

This conduct is severe enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. Administration is violating free speech and organizing rights that are basic to us as Americans

5,000 RNs have walked out of 11 Sutter facilities twice already.  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 three hospitals in medically-underserved areas (St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco, San Leandro Hospital, and Sutter Santa Rosa Medical Center), and their refusal to agree to fair settlements on issues of healthcare and retiree healthcare and pensions. 

“Sutter should by trying to make sure its patients are guaranteed safe nursing care at all times.  Instead, they are digging in their heels, looking to fight nurses tooth and nail, and at my facility are even embarking on retaliation campaigns against nurses,” said Jan Rodolfo, an RN at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center and the elected secretary of the CNA board. 

“San Leandro nurses showed that we are more resolved than ever to fight for our patients and for the future of our hospital. Our overwhelming strike authorization vote should send a signal to Sutter Health that RNs are willing to do whatever it takes to put patients first,” said Jeanine Chatman, an RN at San Leandro Hospital.   

Patient Care Problems Key to Dispute

The key area of dispute is patient care protections. Sutter has rejected the nurses’ proposal for a dedicated meal-and-break relief RN as well as for trained lift teams available 24 hours a day to protect patients from falls and nurses from back injuries. Another important concern is a proposal that all patients are assigned directly to an RN.

Sutter RNs are also incensed by the chain’s attempt at most facilities to cut back healthcare benefits and attempt to shift cost, premiums and fees onto the nurses, both those currently working and retirees.  Sutter RNs note that other hospitals, such as Kaiser Permanente, in a very competitive market during a nursing shortage, offer much better retirement medical benefits and as a result find it easier to recruit and retain nurses.

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, Sutter Solano in Vallejo, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, Sutter Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, and Sutter Novato.