Nurses at dozens of California hospitals stage strike

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS DIGEST. UPDATES WILL BE POSTED TOP-DOWN. . . . 7 amThousands of registered nurses have commenced their plan to walk off the job at 34 hospitals in northern and central California on Thursday in one of the largest such labor actions here in years. Up to 23,000 nurses could be involved in strikes at Children 's Hospital Oakland and the large Sutter Health and Kaiser Permanente systems, union leaders said. The hospitals plan to bring in replacement workers and remain open, though many are postponing elective surgeries. "The emergency department will be functioning, and babies will be born," said Carolyn Kemp, spokeswoman for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland and Berkeley. "The only reason we exist is to care for patients." Although the strike is for one day, many hospitals have informed union leaders they will prevent striking workers from returning until Sept. 27 because they have signed five-day contracts with the firms bringing in temporary workers. The walkout has been organized by California Nurses Association / National Nurses United. (Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com …