California Small Business Association Condemns California Nurses Association's Decision to Call Prolonged Strike at Hospitals Throughout Northern ...( State's Small Business Owners Will P...),Health

State's Small Business Owners Will Pay Higher Healthcare Costs Because of

Strikes and Union's Unrealistic Contract Demands

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- the California Nurses Association announced their intention to hold prolonged strikes at hospitals throughout Northern California beginning March 21. The CNA strikes were called against hospitals affiliated with the Fremont-Rideout Health Group in Marysville and Yuba City, the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (a county facility in Martinez) and six Bay Area hospitals affiliated with Sutter Health. Betty Jo Toccoli, president of the California Small Business Association, representing more than 200,000 small business owners in California, issued the following statement today in response to the latest round of strikes called by the California Nurses Association.

"On behalf of small business owners in Northern California and throughout the state, the California Small Business Association is deeply troubled by the California Nurses Association's (CNA) decision to conduct strikes against hospitals throughout Northern California for as long as 10 days.

"Clearly, the union's decision to bring thousands of nurses out on a prolonged strike will only serve to increase healthcare costs for all of us. The cost of these strikes and the union's unrealistic contract demands will hit small business owners especially hard.

"According to press accounts, a previous nurse strike at just two Northern California hospitals this past summer cost $1 million per day. Multiply that by nine hospitals over as many as ten-days, and it's clear that the CNA's strike will cost these hospitals -- and ultimately consumers -- tens of millions of dollars. That's tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary costs that could better be used to lower healthcare costs or expand technology, services or staff.

"CSBA is also troubled by what seem to be unrealistic and costly dema
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