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. The California Nurses Association’s strike is emblematic of its members’ ongoing discontentment with Sutter, which began contract negotiations with the group in May 2011. Talks came to an impasse in July, with nurses advocating for continuing their current contracts and Sutter contending that those contracts are no longer fiscally feasible.
Several hundred strikers — a group consisting of not only union members but also other hospital officials protesting in solidarity — picketed throughout the day, holding signs such as “RNs on Strike for Patient Care” under a banner that read “Sutter Greed Hurts Our Community.”
“Only four to five hundred people came,” said registered nurse Eric Koch, part of the negotiating team. “It was a bad turnout. We were expecting more.”
The first strikebegan in September 2011, and the most recent took place last July. At Thursday’s event, nurses took turns at the microphone, talking about issues ranging from the standstill of negotiations to the embittered advertising campaign between the two groups.
One main theme of the strike was the allegation that Sutter has been using inaccurate figures regarding nurses’ salaries and pensions in its advertisements.
Sutter cites that full-time nurses at Alta Bates earn an average of $136,000 per year with a pension of $84,000 per year. However, nurses at the strike contended that these numbers are not realistic due to the fact that they are calculated based on nurses who have worked full-time since their mid-20s.
“All of this rhetoric that has been given to the media — none of those numbers are true,” said Ellen Lyons, a registered nurse who has worked at Alta Bates Summit for 25 years.
Additionally, the strikers see Sutter as a large corporation with high salaries for its top officials and large profits.
“One has to question this corporation’s commitment to its community and to providing safe care,” said Liz Jacobs, a registered nurse and communications specialist at the National Nurses United. “It is a corporate health care model.”
However, Sutter contends that changes to the nurses’ contract, such as ending paid sick leave, health coverage cuts and reductions in pay, are necessary to achieve the goal of increasing affordability for its patients.
“Our current proposals — including an economic package made at least nine months ago — reflect the reality of economics at our hospital, in our communities and healthcare today,” said Carolyn Kemp, regional manager of communications and public relations at Alta Bates, in an email. “It also ensures that compensation for Alta Bates Summit RNs remains competitive in our market.”
Still, nurses worry that these cuts will sacrifice quality patient care, leading some to see Sutter as a corporate entity focused more on finances than on patients. Strikers said they have seen a decrease in serving the community and an increase in cutting costs since Sutter began managing Alta Bates in 1996.
As in previous strikes, Sutter brought in five-day contract replacement nurses, preventing strikers from returning to work for an additional four days.
According to Sutter, the replacement workers’ contracts request these five-day terms. This policy came under fire, however, in October 2011, when nurses filed a complaint in response to the five-day lockout during the Sept. 22 protest. The situation was exacerbated by the involvement of one of the replacement workers in the accidental death of a patient.
In late September, Sutter settled with another Bay Area hospital, Mills-Peninsula Health Services — showing that coming to an agreement between nurses and Sutter may be possible.
“We would like to see main table negotiations in Oakland with the Federal Mediator,” Koch said. “We have a basis to get back to the table and a basis for getting together.”
Contact Megan at [email protected].
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I work at Alta bates and if I got what they said I got we would not be on strike I am looking at a $30,000.00 loss of wages with all the cuts.
http://www.sutterhealth.org/about/news/news11-committed-to-competitive-wages-and-affordable-care.html
If I knew I could make $136,000 plus a pension of $86,000 with an associates degree, I would have reconsidered getting a 4 year degree.
http://socialworkburnout.blogspot.com/
That 86K pension includes Social Security plus a 30 yr fully funded 403b. I know a 30 yr Sutter nurse who retired on less than $500/month in actual pension funds. It’s like Mitt Romney telling voters in the last debate that Obama didn’t mention the words “terrorist attack” until 14 days after the Behghazi tragedy. It was a ball faced lie. But you wouldn’t have known that unless the actual facts were brought to light. You don’t believe Mitt Romney now do you? He and Sutter’s CEO Pat Fry are fellow Mormons.
I would love to know how much they actually make. If the 136k – 100k a year are true i have no sympathy for the protesters. An assistant or associate Prof. at Cal makes not that much after more than 10years of training and education. Not to speak of our highschool teachers, or self employed people.
Does a professor at Cal get hazard pay? Prior to a patients official diagnosis, a nurse can be exposed to TB, C-Diff, Hepatits, HIV, MRSA and numerous other highly infectious pathogens. (A firefighter KNOWS he is walking into a burning building). Moreover, does a Cal professor lift 250-400 pound patients every two hours to make sure that patient does not get fatal sacral ulcers, even if his life is saved from a heart attack or pulmonary embolism, or a septic infection? And how about a Cal professors computational skills at 3 a.m. while titrating four vasoactive and sedative intravenous drips on an unstable ICU patient, all the while playing social worker, psychologist, and chaplain with a grieving dysfunctional family from inner city Oakland? Bring on any Cal professor you got buddy, he’ll be dog meat by 5 a.m. See the REAL issue here is that the general public has NO IDEA what nurses responsibilities are at the bedside, not to mention the hours of charting required for litigious concerns. And last but not least, injuries to backs and shoulders take out most bedside nurses prior to 55 yrs old. That last ten years of highest income that your Cal professor makes while sitting in a chair in front of his computer, are spent by the bedside nurse doing part-time teaching at a Nursing school, if she is lucky to land a job, and making 50 grand a year in the Bay Area. That 403b goes fast and with penalties during those years before actual “retirement age.” Most Nursing schools require a MSN or Doctorate to teach, which is an extra 100g in expenses, while an injured bedside nurse is not working. How many injured 50 something nurses do you think can pull that off? Bedside nurses are required to have a White Collar mind and a Blue Collar backbone. If you think you’ve got the stuff, man come on down to the meat grinder of the HMO “Not For Profit” hospital industry. There is STILL a nationwide shortage of experience nurses in the good old US of A for a good goddamned reason! But fear not my friend, we’ve got plenty of diarrhea, vomit, and open festering wounds for you to help us clean buddy. And don’t think you can look away from those hollow, anguished, terrified eyes staring up at you from your fellow American senior citizen, who would, if given a chance, choose a peaceful ticket out on the Morphine train, than suffer one more minute of “Do No Harm” U.S. medicine. Sounds fun right? Well then, step right up and welcome board!
Well Its, it is about hours, contract and benefits. I would loved to have seen 136K salary. I don’t know of many of my co-workers who have reached such levels- a few yes, but that is the OT. I make between 90K and 100K per year, and that is after 20 years. And I now am losing 20K with what Sutter wants (actually more). I do not get a retirement of 80,000 plus per year- in fact my last statement was for 1200 per month. Five years ago I good get a whole $365.00 in retirement. Why the difference? I elected to put into my retirement plan, so I can retire- if I don’t injury my self any further than I have in my work. Can you survive living in the SF bay area on 1600 per month? Food, rent, public transportation, medications,child care, school tuition, and maybe a birthday cake for that special day? I have had months of having to go to the food bank for my child in the beginning years, goodwill provided our clothes, IRS got a huge hunk in taxes. I still do not own a home, I no longer have a personal car, I do not own the latest fashions, I can not afford to go back to college and earn my advance degree.
About training and education- the public made not be aware that every 2 years we RNs have to renew our license- yes, license- with proof of continuing 30 hours education (that is just for CA, other states have different requirements).. Only 30 you say, how easy,how “cheap”. Wrong- those classes can cost upward to hundreds of dollars, not to mention study materials, tests, having to travel out of town to attend. Not everyone can go back to achieve advance degrees- time off, cost, acceptance into a program…I could go on. And not everyone can afford having the various certifications for our fields of nursing. Those cost are high- testing, keeping up the requirements etc- this goes beyond the state requirement. FYI I do over 150 CE hours per year on the average for my field of nursing. Now time that with the average cost of 50 to 800, depending on the class, if you are going for an advance degree or certification. (Last time I check university credits ran around $835.00 per- so one 3 credit class= $2500.00)
Let me echo my co-worker about what it is being a RN (and LVN, techs,and most everyone who is involved taking care of our patients). First we admit you , the patient, We do not know exactly what your problem is in the beginning. We, the staff will be exposed to TB, HIV, meningitis, H1N1, C.Diff, MRSA, measles, the common cold- just to name a few. And we will not know for days until cultures come back. Then we take care to make sure you, the patient do not develop skin break downs that can be fatal, acquire any or another infection that can become fatal. We may have to hold your hand, you families as you lose that ability to make choices in the acute stage of your problem. We may have to do CPR, give you life saving drugs- and titrate those drugs. You won’t be able to talk when we intubate you.
We are exposed to all bodily fluids-when was the last time you were thrown upon, and still had to keep on doing whatever you (nurse) have to do to take care of your patient? Ever have a patient throw feces into your face? Get mad? Angry…nope, you can’t, that would be harmful to your patient (but go ahead and make a contract with that patient so it does not occur again.
This is only a small snap shot of what our job entails.
Let me give one more picture- how many holidays do you get to spend with your family and friends? My child has had only 1 Christmas with me ( I have to work either the night before or night of), he only had 2 birthdays parties ever. I have missed several weddings, and funerals because I could not get time off. I had one co-worker who could not go on her honeymoon because she couldn’t get time off. So, yes, WE put YOU before ourselves and families more often than not.
Our work is not what is seen on TV, We are invisble to most, yet when you have a need, we are there. So Its, why not go to nursing school? Don’t have a chance to interact with your family during those years, and more when you begin to work; prepare to injury yourself moving patients- back, shoulder, knees; handle the stress and depression- especially when your patient dies-have doctor yell, throw tantrums, and throws items just because. Learn, learn and learn more- drugs, disease,chemistry, anatomy, sociology, psychology, physics, microbiology, childhood development, infection control, math, history, cultural studies, maternity, specialities- cardiology, emergency,etc., BLS, ACLS, methods- how do you give a bed bath? The learning does not stop, its a continuing process.
So Its and Prof, come to nursing, you’ll make a fairly decent living, sacrificing just as much, and you’ll have to fight for every bedpan, glove, drug your patient needs…oh you or your family? Forget that, they don’t matter because they and you are not the patient.
Sutter Sucks. I will never go back to any Sutter facility for medical care. They are frightening!
We kicked them out of Marin General for that reason. If they are not good enough for Marin, are they good enough for you?
Since the unionized nurses claim their actual salaries are low, they should be willing to tell us what it is. I doubt they will. This link
http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=Registered+Nurse&l1=Berkeley%2C+CA
shows that the average pay of nurses in Berkeley is $100,000 a year. Not bad for a profession that doesn’t require a four year college degree. The registered nurses mentioned above only need a two year Associate degree. Most Cal nontenured instructors, postdocs and researchers don’t make that kind of money.
In reality this strike isn’t so much about salaries, and has more to do with medical benefits, ironically. The management wants to drop free medical coverage to part-time nurses, just as every other industry in America is doing. The management also wants nurses to chip in 15% for premium PPO health insurance, while regular HMO coverage would still be free. The fact that unionized nurses are fighting so hard against changes in their medical insurance just goes to show even medical professionals distrust Obamacare and want to cling to their existing coverage.
For any scientific study, there are many variables that must be taken into consideration, right? That “average” takes into account a few nurses who work lots of OT, and therefore is actually skewed for the purposes of delineating “base salaries.” I know a 25 yr ICU veteran who makes 100 G per year. Her new grad counterpart is going to start out at far less. As for educational requirements, nursing school has pre-reqs for admission, just like any other health related sciences program. Even an associate’s degree ( favored far less for hiring new grads than a BSN ) requires two years of undergraduate pre-reqs, 1-3 yrs on a waiting list, and two years of actual Nursing School. And by the way, you are not allowed to work during nursing school. It can be cause for dismissal. There are no TA positions, nor state funded stipend programs, of much assistance, to support a nursing student in the Bay Area through professional training. Therefore the student loans payments can approximate Medical School loans, at far less compensation. So you see, it has been an actual supply and demand business to hire qualified candidates. Why would anyone put in the time, energy, or effort to go to nursing school and acquire that much debt, unless there was an income on the other end that would make those numbers make sense. Oh right, nurses ( i.e. women) are supposed to subjugate themselves as martyrs and work for peanuts, so Cal non-tenured professors can feel superior about their payscale. I mean really, nurses are merely saving lives. They are not teaching the critical life skill of freshman Algebra. Do you have any idea how inherently sexist your comments are buddy?
Which nursing programs forbid students to work? I earned my BSN at CSUH in 2003 working 40-50 hours a week, except during my preceptorship, when I only worked weekends. (GPA 3.94 for the snooty professor’s benefit.)