by Ali Tabatabai
Nurses on a three-day strike in front of St. Lukes Hospital
On the second day of their strike, nurses gathered outside of St. Luke’s hospital on Thursday to protest what they call a reduction of services in lower income areas.
The California Nurse’s Association (CNA) accused the Sutter Health network of shifting vital medical services away from hospitals such as St. Luke’s to more affluent neighborhoods.
“Sutter should show more respect for both the communities it serves and its caregivers, not abandon them,” said Zenei Cortez, member of the CNA council of presidents.
Kevin McCormack, spokesperson for St. Luke’s said the claim was a distraction from Sutter’s new contract agreement with it nurses and that CNA was using the event as a tactic to get more nurses to join their union.
McCormack added that St. Luke’s has offered its nursing staff a 25.5 percent pay raise in the new contract.
Strikes and lockouts are expected to continue throughout the week at several Bay Area hospitals within the Sutter network.
