Nurses at San Joaquin General Hospital have gone on a two-day strike over salary and working conditions, and hundreds of clerical and other staff members with the county worker’s union SEIU have joined them in solidarity.
Nurse Kelly Mertz said it’s not just the hospital affected with the union representing 750 county nurses.
“I believe they will be striking at Mental Health, Public Health, and the county clinics as well,” she said.
Fifteen months of negotiations produced an impasse over salary and working conditions. Mertz says the strike could move the county to end the impasse.
“I’m hoping after the county sees our resolve and how united we are that they would be willing to work with us to negotiate a deal after the strike," she said.
Hospital CEO David Culberson said 185 nurses from an outside agency are working 12-hour shifts to keep things running.
“We’re open for business, we continue to have access for Trauma, Emergency Department, Labor and Delivery,” he said. “Yes, we’re on a skinny down schedule but we are fully operational.”
The hospital says the cost of the temporary nurses for five days, the minimum hire period, is $4 million.
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