News

Nurses strike at Alta Bates, 10 other hospitals

June 13, 2012 3:40 pm by Tracey Taylor

Nurses strike at Alta Bates Hospital: one of 11 Bay Area hospitals run by Sutter Health where walk-outs took place today. Photo: Tracey Taylor

An estimated 4,500 registered nurses from 11 Bay Area hospitals, including Berkeley’s Alta Bates, went out on a one-day strike today to protest what they say are some 100 concessions to patient care being made by their employer, Sutter Health.

Dozens of staff gathered outside Alta Bates on Ashby starting at 7am this morning and they plan to be there until 7pm tonight. Most of them were wearing red and many solicited support, in the form of honking horns, from passing cars.

“We are protesting the cuts Sutter Health has made to community services,” said Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto, a spokesperson for the protesters. “There are over 60 propositions on the table which make it very difficult for us to treat patients.”

Pardue-Okimoto said negotiations between nursing staff and Sutter Health management have been ongoing since May last year and that very minimal progress had been made.

“We are not asking for more,” she said. “We will keep the status quo. We just don’t want any takeaways. They need to take the 60 propositions off the table.” One key issue, Pardue-Okimoto said, was Sutter Health’s desire to combine sick time with vacation time.

This is the most recent of four once-day walk-outs by Sutter Health nurses in the past eight months. The last one was on May 1.

Sutter Health said that 42% of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center staff came to work today. In a section of its website devoted to the CNA negotiations, they wrote that union negotiators “continued to misrepresent the facts.” They also published information about nurses’ average compensation and benefits: RNs who work full-time at their Bay Area hospitals earn more than $136,000 a year (not including benefits) and receive up to eight weeks paid time off each year to use for vacation, sick time and other personal use.

As at previous walk-outs, Sutter has brought in replacement nurses, hired through agencies, who will typically take the place of the striking nurses for several days even though the protest is only planned for today.

“We are ready to go back to work tomorrow,” said Pardue-Okimoto. “Forcing us to be off work for four days is punitive and an unfair labor practice.”

Related:
On May Day nurses and Cal employees take to streets [05.01.12]
Nurses’ strike draws cheers and honking horns [09.22.11]

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8 Comments

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  • MFox327

    Wow, those compensation figures are striking: according to BLS, the average RN makes about $70,000 at hospitals in the US, and almost $91,000 in California. If what Sutter published is true, they’re paying nurses almost 100% more than the US mean, and 50% more than the California mean: 
    http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291111.htm. That makes me wonder, is what Sutter is saying true? It seems a bit hard to believe.

  • Anon

    Like many other working people, I have never had a single paid day of vacation or day of paid sick leave in my entire life. I support workers’ rights, but this series of strikes does not resonate with me.

  • Islain

    How does combining one’s sick and vacation days make it difficult to treat patients?
    Is there a full list of the items they’re bent out of shape about about? Without that list, covering this political game of chicken is pointless.

  • Anonymous

    They are probably pissed that combining the two might put a limit on how much sick time they can accrue or something like that.  Remember when our former city manager retired after 36 years with nearly $150,000 cash in unused sick and vacation time? It’s easier to say “we don’t want sick nurses to care for sick patients!” than “we want to retire with a huge windfall!”.

  • CCArn

    The other big “takeaway” here is that they will be required to pay 15% of the premium if they pick the better of the the two healthplan options.  The free healthcare option would already be considered a “Cadillac” plan according to healthcare reform.  I believe the salaries posted.

  • Anon

    I have no sympathy for the Alta Bates nurses. Last year, I was hospitalized due to an emergency appendectomy. The Nurses had a strike planned for the next day. 

    It was absolutely clear that the nurses were out to lunch when I was admitted. The best part was the 6 AM wakeup call I got the next from the protesting nurses soliciting more noise from passing motorists. That’s not proper patient care and these nurses ought to be ashamed of themselves and learn how to make an honest day’s work, instead of constantly whining.

  • Payatot21

    Sick leave is not convertible to cash. But when accumulated, you can use it for maternity leave or during any time you get sick for more than 3 consecutive days. Otherwise, our vacation days get used if its just a call in sick for 3 days type. I crossed the picket, bec I realize: The union does complain a lot, and the law of supply and demand does not give nurses the bargaining power at this time. Also, I’m planning to get out of bedside. I’m tired dealing with patients who complain a lot, expecting resort like facilities or 1:1 service and saying they’re disappointed with nurses. For the appendectomy guy: maybe someone in the er had a stab wound or a heart attack, and your appendix has not burst yet per CT report, that’s why you had to wait :( If there r no more patient ratios. I would make sure I’d eat my lunch, need my fuel, and yes the sick patients might need to wait for pain meds. Not willing to dig a hole in my healthy stomach, cuz how can I continue helping my patients or have a livelihood for my children? So, I’m ok with whatever, bec sutter slashes will just reflect on the care RNs give to you, your children/parents.

  • Opinionsack

    Wow. They arent taking away sick days, they are converting it into Paid Time Off. This is better for the nurses. If you’re actually sick and need those days, then you’re at the status quo, and you can take that time off. If you’re healthy, you benefit from the change. Yes, it’s an incentive for healthy nurses to work more, because nurses must be replaced when they take time off, unlike other managerial positions. But it’s only an incentive. 

    “Forcing us to be off work for four days is punitive and an unfair labor practice.”
    Sorry, but this is complete Bull. It’s in the Nurse Union contract agreement that if they strike, it has to be more than 5 days. Why? Because if one hospital strikes, they all strike. So Sutter needs to hire nurses from elsewhere, possibly from the east coast or wherever. Those hired nurses arent going to fly over to work for just one day. They will have to work for at least 5 days, so the strike must be for at least 5 days. This was agreed upon by the Union. 

    Sutter is cutting costs because they aren’t making as much. Also, when.if new health care plans get pushed through will push the burden of cost on the hospitals, meaning Sutter needs to prepare now or else they’ll be completely screwed over later. Also, supply in demand — there isnt a shortage of nurses anymore, so they dont need to offer (and cant afford to over) exuberant benefits. Stop listening blindly to the Union who are paid to feel important, and do some research. Compare your current benefits to the norm in competing hospitals. 

    Seriously nurses, why did you choose nursing in the first place? Was it really because you liked patient care, or was it because of all the pretty little benefits Alta Bates gave you on top of your $100K+ salary. Think about that answer, and think about why you are striking. 

    Yes, the average RN salary here is around $130K. Reason why these nurses can strike so many times (each strike is 5 days, because of the contract agreement that the Union agreed on) is because they can afford it.