Children's Hospital sets for nurses strike

Registered nurses at Children's Hospital Oakland are expected to walk off the job for five days starting Thursday over a contract dispute that centers on health benefits.

The hospital has herve leger hired replacement nurses and the management expects operations to continue nearly at normal capacity with no change in the emergency department's capabilities. Some elective procedures have been rescheduled.

This will be the second strike in the same negotiations cycle. Nurses represented by the California Nurses Association held a three-day strike in October. The contract expired in July.

"We value our nurses, but CNA leaders are making demands that are simply out of touch with the current economic realties of our hospital," said the hospital's chief nursing officer, Nancy Shibata, in a statement.

The main sticking point involves health benefits. The hospital has offered the nurses the choice of three health plan options: a Kaiser policy fully covered by the employer and two non-Kaiser options. While one of the non-Kaiser plans does not require a monthly contribution, it has a high deductible; the other would require the employee to contribute $4,000 a
Herve Leger one shoulder ColorBlock grey and black year for a family policy.

The hospital on Wednesday revised previously reported financial figures. While tax forms show the hospital made $6.8 million in 2009, the hospital contends audited financial statements that exclude restricted grant money determine the hospital lost $17.9 million. The hospital had said it lost $26 million in 2009.
Tensions built when they walked off the job in early March after negotiations broke down.

Their one-day strike ended with them being locked out from work for an additional four days.

The tentative contract agreement comes one week after the 926-bed hospital announced 200 employees across all departments were being handed pink slips.

That’s about three percent of the hospital’s 6,200 employees.

About 700 nurses at Children's Hospital are represented by the California Nurses Association. Spokeswoman Erin Goldsmith said the hospital hired about 125 replacement nurses for the duration hermes kelly of the strike.

The hospital's non-union nurses, such as nurse managers and nurse practitioners, will make up the balance of the approximately 70 nurses needed for each shift, she said.