‘A crisis’: Sutter Health workers authorize strike over staffing shortages

Workers for Sutter Physical condition are gearing up for a strike with union bureaucrats citing bad faith bargaining by the nonprofit wellness care provider amid what they claim are widespread staffing shortages We don t want to go on strike but we feel like we have to Nikki Moorer of Sutter Solano declared in a report Friday We need management to stop bargaining in bad faith and listen to us to fix working conditions and short staffing Procedures get canceled and patients are sent home because there aren t enough staff to properly stock the equipment we need That s not care That s a problem SEIU union workers at Oakland Santa Rosa Roseville Berkeley Lakeport Vallejo Antioch Castro Valley and San Francisco Sutter Robustness facilities voted to authorize a strike though a date has not yet been set The union expressed frustration with Sutter Physical condition administration over high employee turnover staffing shortages and stressful working conditions SEIU represents nursing assistants respiratory therapists licensed vocational nurses environmental services cooks technicians and more at Sutter Robustness The union also criticized CEO Warner Thomas who they explained earned million in while refusing to invest in staffing and person care The wellbeing care provider pushed back against particular of the union s declares Sutter Medical has been bargaining in good faith with SEIU UHW since July and we remain committed to reaching a fair and sustainable agreement Sutter Robustness spokeswoman Lindsey Goodwin revealed in a message Saturday We look forward to being at the table next week to continue working toward a resolution that s best for our employees our patients and the communities we serve Union authorities explained they plan to meet with Sutter Healthcare in a bargaining session on either Oct or though it is unclear whether that meeting will stave off a likely strike action Sutter Physical condition workers previously picketed in August and September at sites throughout Northern California including at the Sutter Diagnostic Center in Sacramento Plans for Sutter Healthcare to build a new billion Emeryville campus were met with citizens outcry from the union which declares the new facility will affect workers at the Alta Bates Ashby campuses in Oakland and Berkeley leading to a loss of services in the communities that need them the majority In April thousands of Sutter Wellbeing workers walked off the job for a day during ongoing contract negotiations which was followed by another five-day strike in October by the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United Sutter Robustness in an attempt to keep fitness care functions running hired contract workers to fill in That same year millions of plaintiffs filed a anti-trust class action lawsuit seeking over billion in damages that alleged Sutter Wellbeing overcharged customers and companies for wellness care bills and discouraged clients from using other lower-cost services The wellness care giant agreed earlier this year to settle the scenario for million