San Ramon Nurses Planning One-Day Strike

SAN RAMON, CA — Nurses at San Ramon Medical Center will join thousands of other nurses across California for a one-day strike Thursday to protest what they say are unsafe working conditions. A representative for the hospital said that the hospital will be "fully operational" and use replacement nurses during the strike.

The California Nurses Association said in a statement that it has been in talks since February with Tenet Healthcare, the Dallas-based company that operates the hospital, with "little to no movement on key issues." Nurses in San Ramon and Tenet hospitals in Manteca, Modesto, Turlock, Palm Springs, and Joshua Tree reportedly gave notice of a one-day strike on Oct. 20.

The same unions also organized a picket in July, and demanded the same major changes:

• Guaranteed meal and rest break coverage to counteract reported 12-hour shifts.
• Improved methods of recruiting and retaining experienced nurses, and safe staffing levels at all times
• Dedicated lift teams to help with turning and lifting patients.

“It’s clear to the nurses that Tenet is prioritizing profits over patients,” San Ramon Medical Center ICU Nurse Joeton Labos said in a news release, which cited reports that Tenet made billions in profit last year, and CEO Saum Sutaria earned $24.7 million in compensation. “We continue to lose experienced nurses to other area hospitals, which jeopardizes our ability to provide safe patient care. We will do everything in our power to fight for our patients, and that includes going out on strike!"

"The hospitals will remain fully operational during the strike, and our staff’s focus, as always, will be on providing exceptional quality patient care and service," reads a statement provided by the San Ramon Regional Medical Center. "We are disappointed that the union is taking this strike action, which in our view is not constructive or necessary. We have been negotiating in good faith with the union to reach a new contract and even proposed to the union that the parties engage in a mediation to attempt to resolve any differences."

SEE ALSO:

• San Ramon Regional Medical Nurse Centers To Picket Thursday