Santa Clara County nurses plan to go on strike for three days in early April, according to a news release Monday morning.
The three-day walkout is planned for April 2-4.
The nurses say they're seeking increased staffing levels, improved security and better pay and benefits.
In February, 97% of Registered Nurses Professional Association (RNPA) voting members supported authorizing a strike, according to the release.
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There are more than 3,750 nurses in the Santa Clara County Health and Hospital System represented by the RNPA. They've been in contract negotiations with the county since October when their last contract expired.
The strike will involve nurses in the three Santa Clara County hospitals -- Valley Medical, O’Connor and St. Louise Regional.
The union says most of its units are chronically understaffed, keading to nurses working longer hours and handling more patients.
The union says it's also pushing back on a proposal that would require nurses to rotate between hospitals at times.
“Moving nurses from one hospital to another is unsafe for the patient and for the nurse because we won’t be able to understand what the patient needs are and what the doctors expect of us at those hospitals because the policies vary so widely,” said nurse Maybelline Que, who is also the RNPA vice president.
County leaders held a press conference Monday morning, saying they were disappointed it got to this point.
The union says they’re asking for a 15% raise over three years, and the county is offering 10.5%.
County officials say what they've offered is fair and is facing a $250 million deficit, so whatever they offer has to be fair to other county employees too.
“I believe the county has proposed generous terms that reflect competitiveness with area private employers and demonstrates the very best efforts to attract and retain a high-quality group of professional nurses,” said Susan Ellenberg, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
The county says essential services will continue during the strike, but there may be impacts to primary care clinics.
