Kaiser nurses claim staffing, care standards are reasons for walking out

Nurses holding picket signs aired their concerns about nurse staffing, safety and patient-care standards Tuesday outside Kaiser Permanente’s north Modesto hospital.

Statewide, about 18,000 Kaiser nurses were called to participate in strikes Tuesday and Wednesday at more than 20 hospitals and dozens of clinics in the Kaiser health system. Among their demands are better safety equipment and training against the Ebola virus.

In a statement Tuesday, Kaiser said the reasons cited by union leaders for walking out are not supported by facts. Teams have worked nonstop to develop Ebola preparedness, held practice drills and deployed protective equipment, the statement said. Kaiser added that hospital nurse staffing meets or exceeds the requirements of the state.

The nurses represented by the California Nurses Association have been in contract negotiations with the Oakland-based health system, though the union said last week that the talks had stalled.

The union is part of National Nurses United, which is holding strikes and pickets in 16 states over Ebola and patient safety issues.

The walkout at Kaiser facilities is scheduled to end at 7 a.m. Thursday. The Kaiser hospitals and clinics are open, but the health system said some elective procedures would be rescheduled and affected patients would be notified.

The California Hospital Association and the Association of California Nurse Leaders jointly criticized the labor actions, calling them “a politically motivated effort to exploit public concern about Ebola to promote their own agenda.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2014 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Kaiser nurses claim staffing, care standards are reasons for walking out."