Two-Day Nurses Strike Begins Today( California's Biggest RN Strike This ...),Health

California's Biggest RN Strike This Decade As Nurses Take a Stand for Safe

Patient Care

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking a stand for improving patient care standards, nearly 5,000 registered nurses will begin a two-day strike at 15 Northern California hospitals this morning in California's largest strike of registered nurses in a decade. All but two of the hospitals are part of the big Sutter health chain and include some of the largest hospitals in the Bay Area.

The strike issues for Sutter RNs are:

* Patient care protections at Sutter hospitals

* Reductions in health care coverage and retirement security for Sutter

RNs

* Sutter proposals to eliminate essential patient care services in Bay

Area communities

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, which represents the RNs, said it hopes Sutter corporate executives will finally get the message from their caregivers that significant improvements are needed.

"Sutter RNs have made a choice. They are dedicated to improving patient care conditions and they have decided to step up and protect their communities," said CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro.

"Their commitment is about their patients and advocacy for those patients and protecting the community health. Sutter should work with the nurses and CNA to turn this healthcare system around. It should treat its nurses with respect, and listen to them," DeMoro said.

Support is also growing for the RNs from labor and community leaders across Northern California.

"Sutter Health has violated our trust and the fundamental safety of patients by refusing to ensure safe conditions for its patients," said Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, in a statement this morning.

"This company has sidestepped its patient-care responsibilities by deciding to close
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