OAKLAND, California - More than 700 registered nurses launched a 3-day strike against the Children’s Hospital of Oakland after management decided to make them pay 15% of their health care benefits, or approximately $4,000 of their annual salary. At least 30% of the staff here are Filipino.

”We already agreed to a salary freeze and now they’re making us pay for health care. That’s not fair,” said Aina Nagui.

The Children’s Hospital used to shoulder all of the nurses’ health care costs. The nurses’ union, the California Nurses Association, said it has been working without a contract since May and management has not budged.

Martha Kuhl, who is on the Union Negotiating Committee said: ”We have been negotiating with them for 5 months. They are refusing to give in and were getting frustrated.”

Hospital spokesperson Nancy Shibata said the hospital has not budged because health care costs have risen by 80% in the last 5 years, costing the hospital $5 million more for all of its 3,000 employees.

”The nurses earn at least $136,000 a year. All we’re asking is $4,000 from their salary. This is a fair deal,” said Nancy Shibata of the Children’s Hospital of Oakland.

For Filipino parents like Carol de Vega who depend on the nurses to care for their children, keeping employees happy is a must.

“Of course we’re concerned. We want the nurses to be happy and we want them to feel safe in their own workplace. We’re hoping they would get what they’re asking for,” said de Vega.

The Children’s Hospital of Oakland is the only children’s hospital in the San Francisco East Bay that caters to low-income and immigrant families.   Management hopes that protesting nurses will focus their efforts on the children that need their care the most.

The strike is expected to end on Friday morning. Management said the nurses will not be locked out. In the meantime, replacement nurses have been hired during the strike. Balitang America