California ICU nurse Amy Erb has seen her share of nursing strikes in her 19 years as a registered nurse. But recent strikes demanding better working conditions, including one that ended Monday, seem to have gained more attention, she believes, because of how nurses were hailed as frontline heroes during the pandemic.
"I really think the pandemic shined a light on ongoing issues in hospitals," Erb said. She recalls walking with other nurses under signs recognizing them "and feeling really disposable by our employer. We are trying to do something to ensure a safer environment."
As Erb's employer, Sutter Health, continues to negotiate with the California Nurses Association (CNA) following a 1-day strike with 8000 nurses last month, another nurses union ratified a new contract on Monday with a pair of health systems to end a 1-week strike by 5000 nurses. CNA, along with National Nurses United, also represented nurses at nine Tenet Healthcare hospitals across California in a public action demonstration last week.
On Monday, the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) ratified a 3-year contract with Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital after its recent week-long strike in which nurses demanded safer staffing and mental health support, among other issues.
