Hospital group threatens 10-day lockout

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/nurses_61499___article.html/strike_offer.html

By Andrea Koskey/Appeal-Democrat
March 14, 2008 01:10:00 AM

Fremont-Rideout Health Group administration is playing hardball with nurses intending to strike next Friday, but nurses say they are not backing down.

Nurses who choose to participate in the 24-hour strike scheduled for March 21 will not be allowed to return to work for 10 days, Tresha Moreland, vice president of human resources for the hospital, said.

Heather Avalos, a Rideout Memorial ICU registered nurse, said she is "extremely disappointed" by the hospital's actions, but is not surprised.

"This is clearly punitive and retaliatory," she said. "This is harmful to patient care and our community, sending huge sums of money out of the state."

The strike is scheduled to coincide with the first day of a 10-day strike at 10 Bay Area hospitals that are also in contract negotiations.

"It is unfortunate for our nurses that (California Nurses Association) chose to call them out on strike to further their agenda with a larger health care organization in the Bay Area," Moreland said in a released statement.

FULL story at link.