Thousands of nurses to strike at Kaiser, Sutter hospitals Thursday
By Darrell Smith and Phillip Reese
Thousands of nurses at more than 30 Sutter Health and Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California will walk off the job Thursday in what union officials say will be the nation’s largest-ever nurses’ strike.
More than 23,000 nurses represented by the powerful California Nurses Association – including 17,000 from Kaiser hospitals – are expected to honor the walkout, primarily in the Bay Area but also at Kaiser’s Sacramento-area hospitals.
Kaiser officials said they are prepared “to provide high-quality health care and service” during the strike.
The massive one-day strike, engineered by the CNA – part of the National Nurses United superunion – and the smaller National Union of Healthcare Workers, comes as Sacramento-based Sutter Health is seeking concessions from registered nurses at its Bay Area hospitals. The concessions include sharp hikes in health premium and retirement contributions and elimination of paid sick leave and the ability to advocate for patients.
Read the full article in The Sacramento Bee.