Nurses picket outside North County hospital (CA)

[struggle4progress]

ENCINITAS – Nurses picketed outside Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas today, demanding to be allowed to form a nurses committee, an end to merit-based pay and for new nurses to be required to join the union.

Only a few nurses crossed the picket line and went to work as scheduled when the strike began at 7 a.m., California Nurses Association spokeswoman Diane Hirsch-Garcia said.

"These nurses are determined to win a fair contract to improve patient care for the community," Hirsch-Garcia said.

The nurses planned to be out for only 24 hours, but hospital administrators say any striking nurses will be locked out through Sunday. <snip>

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20050414-0911-nurse-strike.html

[leesa]

1. Good for them. The entire UC system had a strike of service workers

who are not even paid poverty wages. Two days before the planned strike, the UC system declared it illegal because they didn't have enough time to "study it". The issues had been on the table for a year. I asked them to explain why they felt they did not have time to "study it", but got no response. It was really sleazy. I hope the people I know who struck that day are not fired, but they probably will be.

[struggle4progress]

2. Looks to me like the one day strike had lots of support.

If things turn sour, I hope people blame it in part on Arnold.

[Misskittycat]

3. That's where I live! It got a lot of press coverage.

Also, at a progressives meeting on Monday night, we were encouraged to go out and support the striking nurses that day. (I had to work; otherwise, I would have gone there. )

[struggle4progress]

4. I hope the press coverage was good!

[Misskittycat]

5. It seemed very supportive.

The Hospital also threatened to lock out the strikers until after the weekend. They are carrying through with that threat, and have hired temp nurses to cross the picket line. That's getting coverage, too.

Really great for health care, hugh. Temp nurses for the weekiend.