National Nurses United

Nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center have called a 10 day strike beginning on Dec. 24, according to a press release by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. 

Registered nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland and Berkeley will go on strike from Oct. 24 to Oct. 28 because of “persistent patient care issues."

Registered nurses at UCLA Medical Center and UCSF Medical Center are holding rallies and press conferences Wednesday to address issues of patient care, staffing shortages and lack of protective equipment, Palacios noted. The rally and press conferences will be held at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and UCSF Parnassus. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic brings safety challenges to local hospitals, Berkeley and Oakland health workers are calling for stronger protective measures from hospital leadership.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that California hospitals can consider resuming health care procedures that were deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a decision that has been met with hesitation by nurses.

With the increased need for disposable N95 respirators, Bay Area hospitals have been trying to conserve equipment by decontaminating respirators for reuse — upsetting nurses on the front lines.

The California Nurses Association hosted a town hall Wednesday to discuss ways to prevent the planned closure of the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center’s Berkeley campus, which would eliminate the city’s only emergency room.

The UC Office of the President announced Friday that all UC medical centers have been designated as priority hospitals for Ebola patients, but many nurses feel the UC is inadequately prepared to handle the virus.

Registered nurses at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley went on their sixth strike Thursday along with six other East Bay hospitals in protest of contract negotiations with Sutter Health Corporation.