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Nurses union staging strikes at two Bay Area hospitals

Seaman Luke Cunningham/Naval Medical Center San Diego
/
Digital

Two hundred registered nurses (RNs) at St. Rose and 78 at John Muir will be striking, the union said.

The strike is expected to last two days in Hayward starting Tuesday and one day starting Wednesday in Concord, according to a news release from the union, which alleges that management at both hospitals has refused to address their demands for fair contracts.

In a statement, Dianne Kubota, an RN at St. Rose Hospital, said: "Management has made major changes to nurses and case managers' health benefits without our agreement. Changes to access and trusted providers can have negative outcomes that we cannot support. As nurses and case managers, we are part of the community and advocate for quality health care for all, including our own families.”

The union announcement follows strike authorization votes by Hayward nurses on April 5 and Concord nurses on April 13.

A spokesperson for St. Rose Hospital said that the hospital has been bargaining in "good faith" for over 22 months and has been "ready, willing and able" to bargain with CNA the whole time.

Kubota said Thursday that the union has been bargaining with St. Rose since July 2021.

St. Rose Hospital said it was aware that the nurses and case managers will be striking from Tuesday through Thursday morning and said it does not intend to hire replacement workers or lock out any RNs or case managers.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.