Local subtext in Sutter walkout

Armed with picket signs reading "Patients Before Profits," several dozen nurses demonstrated outside Santa Rosa's Sutter Medical Center on Wednesday, the first day of a two-day strike at 15 Northern California hospitals.

Protesting contract proposals they contend would increase their health care costs and undermine patient care by cutting staffing, members of the California Nurses Association called on Sutter to step up contract negotiations at its other Bay Area hospitals.

Local nurses said they had added impetus to walk out because they fear patient care will decline if Sutter Health carries out a plan to close the former Community Hospital.

Meanwhile, Sutter Medical Center remained open and was caring for about 70 patients, although about 100 elective surgeries and procedures had been postponed. Sutter officials said "a very limited" number of temporary nurses were hired to boost staffing levels, which were supplemented with nonunion nurses as well as union nurses ignoring the strike.

Robin Hagenstad, chief nursing officer, said about 40 percent of the day-shift staff was composed of registered nurses who are union members.

Officials from the union's Oakland headquarters said they had not compiled data on how many local members participated in the strike, which is set to end at 7 a.m. Friday.

The CNA represents about 340 nurses at Sutter Medical Center, although Sutter employs a total of 470 at various facilities in Sonoma County. Officials with the Service Employees International Union, which represents clerical staff, technicians and licensed vocational nurses at Sutter, said they support the strike but had issued no call for members to stay off their jobs during the strike.

By most accounts, this strike is far less contentious in tone than the last one staged by Sutter nurses in December 2004. Back then, nurses represented by the SEIU walked out for one day but were locked out for four more days by Sutter.

During that strike, Sutter officials warned employees that a strike would mean five days off without pay. It estimated 60 percent of nearly 1,000 workers represented by SEIU were blocked from returning to work.

This time, Sutter issued no warnings and did not hire a large force of temporary workers.

"It feels less confrontational," Hagenstad said. "We will welcome the nurses back to work."

Hagenstad and other Sutter officials maintain the local strike had little to do with contract negotiations and was driven by nurses union leaders who want to achieve uniform contracts across Northern California health facilities. Currently, negotiations are conducted independently between local hospital officials and a bargaining team of local nurses.

Local nurses said they believe Sutter officials aren't seriously negotiating a new contract because they are more intent on ending their hospital contract with Sonoma County.

Nurses said closing Sutter Medical Center would severely curtail the availability of medical care in the county. Sutter has said it wants to transfer many publicly guaranteed health services to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, but negotiating that exchange with Sonoma County officials is taking longer than anticipated.

"This city is too big to just have two hospitals -- one Catholic and one private," said neonatal intensive care nurse Nancy Anderson, referring to Memorial and Kaiser Permanente.

About 50 nurses attended a noon rally that featured several Bay Area union leaders.

CNA board treasurer Martha Kuhl said Sutter Health also is trying to close revenue-losing facilities in San Leandro and St. Luke's in San Francisco.

"It is up to us to play the role of patient advocate and stand up for patient care," Kuhl said.

The union represents about 5,000 nurses at hospitals affected by the strike, but leaders had no estimate on how many members stayed off the job.

"Last year, (Sutter) made more than $500 million in profits," said Erika Larson, a CNA representative. "They hide behind their nonprofit status. The truth is they're making a killing out there. They certainly could keep this hospital open."

You can reach Staff Writers Mary Callahan at 521-5249

or mary.callahan@

pressdemocrat.com and

Bleys W. Rose at 521-5431 or bleys.rose@pressdemocrat.com.