Sutter nurses strike; photo and article for News & Letters by David M'Oto
Oakland, Calif.—Sutter Healthcare nurses were joined by sympathizing Kaiser nurses for a rally outside Summit Medical Center on Sept. 22. Sutter nurses called the one-day strike because of proposed cuts in patient staffing, sick pay and other benefits. The Summit administration argued that employee illness/injury is not necessarily work-related and therefore does not warrant as much recompense. One speaker noted that it is the first time she had ever heard that argument but was not surprised it was used against a woman-dominated workforce. Some strikers wore T-shirts reading, “Save one life and you’re a hero. Save a hundred lives and you’re a nurse.”