Tuesday: Registered Nurses to Picket Sutter/CPMC Event for Fair Contract, Healthcare Justice

Dinner Honoree Michela Alioto-Pier Refuses to Cross Picket Line

WHAT: Registered Nurses from St. Luke’s Hospital and other Sutter Health/CPMC campuses will picket a fundraiser this Tuesday as part of an ongoing effort to win a fair contract from the chain.

WHY: “The RNs at St. Luke’s Hospital don’t understand why Sutter/CPMC won’t treat us fairly.  We are continually understaffed, which impacts the quality of care we can offer.  We are watching vital hospital services being cut from our units.  We are paid less and receive lower healthcare and retirement benefits than our colleagues at other Bay Area Sutter hospitals.  In light of this, we want to thank Supervisor Alioto-Pier and the other elected officials for honoring our picket line, and respecting our work,” said Jane Sandoval, an RN at the hospital.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 27, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Tonga Room, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco

Since the announcement of the protest, other San Francisco elected leaders have pledged to honor the picket line.  Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who was to have been feted at the event, was one of the first cancellations, citing her support of public health in a letter to Sutter/CPMC management and the fact that,

“In my time in public life, I have never crossed a picket line,” and that, “While the physical plant of the hospital is important, the medicine practiced inside is only possible because of the efforts of doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, and collective bargaining clearly enhances patient safety standards.”