Children's Hospital Oakland RNs Vote To Authorize Strike - No Movement In Key Issues - Safe Staffing Provisions, Health Plan Reductions

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 30 Sep 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Registered nurses at Children's Hospital Oakland voted overwhelmingly last night to authorize their RN negotiating team to call a strike if an agreement with the hospital is not reached, the California Nurses Association/ National Nurses Organizing Committee announced recently.

The vote comes as a result of CHO's failure to address RN concerns on patient care and because CHO has proposed sweeping reductions in healthcare coverage for the RNs. CHO refuses to agree to proposals to improve patient care or to meet area contract standards on healthcare and retirement. This will hinder the hospital's ability to recruit and retain nurses.

CNA/NNOC represents 650 nurses at the facility, whose contract extension ended Sep. 21. RNs at 10 Sutter Health hospitals in Northern California have in recent weeks also voted to authorize a potential walkout over similar issues to those voiced by the Children's RNs.

"RNs want CHO to know we are serious about proposals to improve staffing, patient care, and maintain healthcare benefits," said Martha Kuhl, an RN on the pediatric oncology unit and a member of the CNA bargaining team. "Nurses don't want to strike, but if CHO refuses to meet area contract standards, we will be forced to do so."

Of particular concern is the issue of RN staffing, which is a central component of safe patient care. Nurses are concerned over CHO's break coverage in many units, so that nurses can take their allotted work breaks without compromising patient care in any way. CHO is also failing to provide acceptable pre- and post-retirement healthcare benefits for nurses, with proposals that are far below Bay Area standards. CHO's healthcare proposal includes premiums for dependents, significant jumps in deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses, increased prescription co-pays, increased doctor visit co-pays, and cutting dental benefits. By contrast, the massive chains Tenet, Catholic Healthcare West, and Kaiser have all settled contracts that provide comprehensive medical benefits for RNs--unlike this substandard CHO proposal.

Representing some 75,000 RNs in 50 states, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee is the largest and fastest-growing association of direct-care RNs in the nation.

http://www.calnurses.org