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Mar 23, 2008 5:39 pm US/Pacific
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Nurses To Protest Hospital Closure In SF
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―
Striking nurses will be marching through the streets of San Francisco Monday to protest Sutter Health's possible closure of St. Luke's Hospital.
Some 4,000 registered nurses from the California Nurses Association began striking at 7 a.m. Friday to prove to Sutter Health they are serious about negotiating a new contract. This strike is the third the association has called since October, as well as being the longest walkout of the three.
A Blue Ribbon Panel has been convened to discuss the future of St. Luke's Hospital. The panel hopes to produce a viable plan for acute care and outpatient services at the hospital, California Pacific Medical Center spokesman Kevin McCormack said.
McCormack also said that there are no plans to close the hospital and officials are merely reviewing their options on what services to offer at the facility. St. Luke's Hospital falls under the umbrella of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
Nurses at California Pacific marked the second day of their 10-day strike with a rally at noon Saturday. CNA spokesman Chuck Idelson said the rally went very well thanks to the "spirited group" of people who attended.
"We had quite a few nurses that were here, as well as representatives from community organizations," Idelson said.
Registered nurse Jonica Brooks said nurses are hoping the 10-day strike will push hospital officials back to the bargaining table. "We are ready to go back to the table unconditionally and at any time," she said.
Hospitals affected by the strike include 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 and Sutter Solano in Vallejo.
Representatives for the nurses have said they are striking to protest what they consider serious patient care issues including safe staffing even during rest and meal breaks, medical benefits and pension improvements. The nurses association is also protesting Sutter's alleged attempt to close three community hospitals in the Bay Area that serve a patient population that is poorer and composed of more people of color than other Sutter hospitals.
Bill Gleeson, a spokesman for Sutter Health, said nurses are well paid, receive free health care and a generous retirement plan. The real reason for the strike is related to the union's quest for increased membership and more dues money, he said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)