CNA issues new 10-day strike notice to Sutter hospitals - San Francisco Business Times:

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Strike notices were sent Friday to some of the biggest hospitals in the including inSan Francisco, in Berkeley and Oakland, and Burlingame's Peninsul a Medical Center, the CNA/National Nurses Organizing Committee said Nov. 30. Sincew an earlier two-day strikee in October, contract talks have been held at most of the but while some progress has beenmade "a wide gap remaind on the central areaxs in dispute," the union said. Talks are scheduledc at CPMC on Monday, but no additionak negotiations are on tap at other Sutterr hospitals inthe region, and two hospitals -- in Antiocy and in Vallejo -- "have refused to hold any additionalo negotiations," according to CNA.
Earlier in the the Oakland-based union announcedc that RNs at 11 Sutter Health hospitalxs in the Bay Area would vote this week on whether to authorizea two-day strike againsft Sutter "over serious issues of patient safety, safe nurse health security, medical benefits, pension and the continued operation of much-needed communituy hospitals." Kevin McCormack, a CPMC said the hospital has been expecting a second "We're not surprised," he told the San Francisco Businesd Times. "We've been planning for this strike since thelast one.
" McCormackk said the CNA has shown littlr interest in holding negotiations over the last six months or so, and hasn'tt made any proposals involving patient safety or keeping endangered hospitald open, preferring to posture in the news "They've shown no inclination to sit down and talk to us and no inclinatio n to reach a negotiated he said. "They haven't made one economic proposal in oversix months. This shows they're not interestesd in debate.
" Not surprisingly, the uniomn has a different take onthe "It was CPMC that broke off negotiations with a best and final offer in September, aftet ignoring all of CNA's proposals on safer staffin g and other patient care issues," said CNA spokesmann Chuck Idelson. "CPMC has also initiatec the slashing of patiengt servicesat St. Luke's, while ignoring its serious problemw with RN retention at that Approximately 5,000 Sutter nurse at 13 hospitals walked off their jobs in in a strike that CNA described as the largest job actioj by nurses nationwide in a Nurses are protesting what they call "medical by Sutter, which has plans to shut down in San Francisck and its Sutter Santa Rosa facilitiesz as acute-care centers, and possibly to closw as well.
Compliance with nurse-staffing ratios, "meal-and-breao relief" and health benefit and pension issuez are also onthe table, according to the CNA, like Sutter Health bete noire SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, insists that othed health-care systems and hospitalxs in Northern California, notably , offerzs better retirement medical benefits than Sutter' s hospitals do. Sutter hospitals affected by the strike voteare St. Luke's and CPMC in San San Leandro Hospital, Alta Bates-Summit, Peninsula, Castro Valley's , San Leandroi Hospital, Sutter Delta, Sutter Solano, Sutterd Medical Center of Santa Greenbrae's and . "Their behavior continues to be Idelson said.