Sutter nurses (13 Bay Area hospitals) plan to work today; some face lockouts

[Omaha Steve]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

George Raine

Most of the registered nurses who staged a 48-hour strike at 13 Bay Area hospitals affiliated with Sutter Health were to return to work today at 7 a.m., although nurses at three of the facilities will be locked out for several days.

The nurses' union, the California Nurses Association, called the strike, saying patient care was being jeopardized by inadequate staffing. Employers said the strike was designed to try to force a master contract with the Sutter affiliates and contract language that accommodates organizing efforts for new members.

Alta Bates Summit, Eden and Sutter Solano medical centers all signed contracts with replacement nurses that extend beyond today, so their nurses will be locked out, briefly. Eden nurses may return Saturday, Sutter Solano nurses Sunday and Alta Bates nurses Monday.

The two sides disagreed over the number of nurses who crossed picket lines during the strike. "We had at least 95 percent compliance," said union spokesman Chuck Idelson. He said the hospitals' claim that it was less "is deliberately false."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/12/BUGKLSOUDK.DTL&type=business