Nurses Walk Out at Hospital in Oakland; Strike Could Spread
OAKLAND — Dozens of nurses walked off the job at Providence Hospital on Tuesday in a strike that could spread to hundreds of other nurses at six other hospitals in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area.
A total of 316 nurses, members of the California Nurses Assn., walked off the job at 6:45 a.m., Providence spokeswoman Linda Trowbridge said.
The walkout came one day after contract talks broke down over a wage dispute. The nurses said they planned to expand the strike by Friday.
All but 17 of the approximately 230 patients at Providence have been transferred to other hospitals or released.
Anticipating the strike, Providence Hospital shut down its top three floors Monday.
About 900 registered nurses at Alta Bates Hospital and Herrick Hospital in Berkeley are scheduled to walk out by Friday, and steps have been taken there in expectation of the strike.
The other hospitals negotiating contracts with the California Nurses Assn. are Brookside, in San Pablo; Children’s Hospital, Oakland; Alameda Hospital, Alameda, and Washington Hospital, Fremont.
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