Nurses at San Francisco's historic Chinese Hospital say they plan to strike Tuesday to protest poor working conditions and to push for a fair contract with hospital management.
Nurses say low staffing and issues with patient safety have hindered recruitment efforts for new registered nurses for the more than 100-year-old hospital, which aims to offer culturally sensitive and affordable healthcare to the local Chinese community.
Sherry Yee, a nurse at Chinese Hospital, says their effort for better working conditions, like providing nurses with meal and break relief, is aimed at helping their patients.
“We love the patients we take care of everyday and that’s why we’re fighting very hard to get this contract that ensures that we’re able to equip ourselves to care for them safely and efficiently," Yee said.
Yee says the nurses voted to unionize under National Nurses United in August of 2019, representing more than 100 nurses at the facility. They haven’t been able to reach an agreement with Chinese Hospital since beginning collective bargaining in February 2020, the union says.
Hospital management did not return a request for comment.