wurk»healthcare {Your career. Your say.}

Tomorrow, healthcare workers at Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, California are going on strike. They include those who work as Certified Nursing Assistants, Radiology Technicians, Respiratory Therapists, Dietary Aides, Obstetric Technicians, Admitting Representatives, Medical Records Clerks and other hospital classifications.

What do they want?

• Safe staffing guidelines
• Employee education fund
• A ban on subcontracting union jobs to cheap unorganized labor
• The right for other hospital workers to vote in a democratic union election without being
• intimidated or harassed by management.

When I worked at a Kaiser Permanente pharmacy, we also experienced a strike. Because I was only a part-time worker, I continued to work and I don’t recall any of my colleagues going on strike although they were union members. It didn’t seem to affect the daily functions of the medical center, but I’m sure things didn’t feel quite right especially to those whose colleagues were walking the picket line outside.

The demands being made by the Santa Rosa healthcare workers are not completely unreasonable, But at the same time, is it necessary to go on strike and possibly affect patient care?

Have you ever or would you go on strike?

PR Newswire, May 1, 2006

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