SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hundreds of nurses and supporters picketed outside the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center here April 2, the first day of a three-day strike by over 3,000 members of the Registered Nurses Professional Association at three county hospitals.
“Patient safety! That’s what the strike’s about,” registered nurse Evol Denny told the Militant. Denny, with 35 years nursing experience, five of them for the county, was talking about chronic understaffing. The county administration proposes to compensate by sending nurses to work temporarily in different departments, and even to different hospitals, to cover egregious shortages. Picket signs carried by the nurses emphasized the nurses’ determination to put a stop to what is called “floating” nurses.
“They want to send us to these different departments, whether we are trained for them or not,” registered nurse Debbie Lee said.
Nurses are also demanding a wage increase of 15% through October 2025, 5% of which would be retroactive to the expiration of their contract in October 2023.