With the current contract scheduled to expire at midnight Dec. 1, negotiations are continuing around the clock between Safeway Inc., the Pleasanton-based supermarket giant, and the United Food & Commercial Workers union.
Negotiators said some progress has been made in the contract talks, but there still remains a wide disparity on "economics" issues.
Safeway (NYSE: SWY) employs about 25,000 workers represented by four UFCW locals throughout Northern California.
If no agreement is reached, UFCW members may begin voting as early as this weekend to authorize a strike against Safeway. If workers vote to do so, a walkout against Safeway could begin shortly after the vote is tallied.
Negotiators could also decide to extend the current three-year contract so talks can continue.
The strike threat would involve only Safeway, since UFCW negotiators have already reached agreement on a new four-year contract with Raley's Inc., the West Sacramento-based company that operates Raley's and Nob Hill Foods supermarkets in the Bay Area; and Save Mart Supermarkets of Modesto, which operates Lucky and Save Mart stores throughout the region.
"Both parties are bargaining in earnest and are working hard to achieve an agreement before the contract expires," Ron Lind, president of UFCW Local 5, said in a statement also issued by his fellow UFCW local presidents throughout the region.
UFCW Local 5 represents unionized supermarket employees in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Santa Clara counties, along with several neighboring counties in the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region.
credited by: bizjournals.com
2007-12-02
CNA issues new 10-day strike notice to Sutter hospitals
The California Nurses Association has delivered a 10-day strike notice to Sutter Health hospitals in Northern California for a strike that could take place Dec. 13 and 14, reprising an earlier two-day walkout in October.
Strike notices were sent Friday to some of the biggest hospitals in the region, including California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley and Oakland, and Burlingame's Peninsula Medical Center, the CNA/National Nurses Organizing Committee said Nov. 30.
Since an earlier two-day strike in October, contract talks have been held at most of the hospitals, but while some progress has been made "a wide gap remains on the central areas in dispute," the union said. Talks are scheduled at CPMC on Monday, but no additional negotiations are on tap at other Sutter hospitals in the region, and two hospitals -- Sutter Delta in Antioch and Sutter Solano in Vallejo -- "have refused to hold any additional negotiations," according to CNA.
Earlier in the week, the Oakland-based union announced that RNs at 11 Sutter Health hospitals in the Bay Area would vote this week on whether to authorize a two-day strike against Sutter "over serious issues of patient safety, safe staffing, nurse health security, medical benefits, pension improvements, and the continued operation of much-needed community hospitals."
Kevin McCormack, a CPMC spokesman, said the hospital has been expecting a second strike. "We're not surprised," he told the San Francisco Business Times. "We've been planning for this strike since the last one."
McCormack said the CNA has shown little interest in holding negotiations over the last six months or so, and hasn't made any proposals involving patient safety or keeping endangered hospitals open, preferring to posture in the news media. "They've shown no inclination to sit down and talk to us and no inclination to reach a negotiated settlement," he said. "They haven't made one economic proposal in over six months. This shows they're not interested in debate."
Approximately 5,000 Sutter nurses at 13 hospitals walked off their jobs in October, in a strike that CNA described as the largest job action by nurses nationwide in a decade.
Nurses are protesting what they call "medical redlining" by Sutter, which has plans to shut down St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco and its Sutter Santa Rosa facilities as acute-care centers, and possibly to close San Leandro Hospital as well. Compliance with nurse-staffing ratios, "meal-and-break relief" and health benefit and pension issues are also on the table, according to the union.
CNA, like Sutter Health bete noire SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, insists that other health-care systems and hospitals in Northern California, notably Kaiser Permanente, offers better retirement medical benefits than Sutter's hospitals do.
Sutter hospitals affected by the strike vote are St. Luke's and CPMC in San Francisco, San Leandro Hospital, Alta Bates-Summit, Peninsula, Castro Valley's Eden Medical Center, San Leandro Hospital, Sutter Delta, Sutter Solano, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, Greenbrae's Marin General Hospital and Novato Community Hospital.
"Their behavior continues to be abhorrent," CNA spokesman Chuck Idelson said.
credted by: bizjournals.com
Strike notices were sent Friday to some of the biggest hospitals in the region, including California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley and Oakland, and Burlingame's Peninsula Medical Center, the CNA/National Nurses Organizing Committee said Nov. 30.
Since an earlier two-day strike in October, contract talks have been held at most of the hospitals, but while some progress has been made "a wide gap remains on the central areas in dispute," the union said. Talks are scheduled at CPMC on Monday, but no additional negotiations are on tap at other Sutter hospitals in the region, and two hospitals -- Sutter Delta in Antioch and Sutter Solano in Vallejo -- "have refused to hold any additional negotiations," according to CNA.
Earlier in the week, the Oakland-based union announced that RNs at 11 Sutter Health hospitals in the Bay Area would vote this week on whether to authorize a two-day strike against Sutter "over serious issues of patient safety, safe staffing, nurse health security, medical benefits, pension improvements, and the continued operation of much-needed community hospitals."
Kevin McCormack, a CPMC spokesman, said the hospital has been expecting a second strike. "We're not surprised," he told the San Francisco Business Times. "We've been planning for this strike since the last one."
McCormack said the CNA has shown little interest in holding negotiations over the last six months or so, and hasn't made any proposals involving patient safety or keeping endangered hospitals open, preferring to posture in the news media. "They've shown no inclination to sit down and talk to us and no inclination to reach a negotiated settlement," he said. "They haven't made one economic proposal in over six months. This shows they're not interested in debate."
Approximately 5,000 Sutter nurses at 13 hospitals walked off their jobs in October, in a strike that CNA described as the largest job action by nurses nationwide in a decade.
Nurses are protesting what they call "medical redlining" by Sutter, which has plans to shut down St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco and its Sutter Santa Rosa facilities as acute-care centers, and possibly to close San Leandro Hospital as well. Compliance with nurse-staffing ratios, "meal-and-break relief" and health benefit and pension issues are also on the table, according to the union.
CNA, like Sutter Health bete noire SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, insists that other health-care systems and hospitals in Northern California, notably Kaiser Permanente, offers better retirement medical benefits than Sutter's hospitals do.
Sutter hospitals affected by the strike vote are St. Luke's and CPMC in San Francisco, San Leandro Hospital, Alta Bates-Summit, Peninsula, Castro Valley's Eden Medical Center, San Leandro Hospital, Sutter Delta, Sutter Solano, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, Greenbrae's Marin General Hospital and Novato Community Hospital.
"Their behavior continues to be abhorrent," CNA spokesman Chuck Idelson said.
credted by: bizjournals.com
Kaiser Permanente hands out $1.3 million in HIV-AIDS grants
Kaiser Permanente is providing more than $1.3 million in grants to promote HIV-AIDS awareness, prevention, screening, support and treatment statewide -- including $100,000 to four nonprofit agencies in the East Bay -- local officials said Friday.
The announcement was timed to coincide with an international focus on the issue Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Local grants of $25,000 each will go to:
Allen Temple Baptist Church's AIDS Ministry program in Oakland, which provides prevention education to teens and others.
California Prevention and Education Project, an Oakland-based program, providing HIV testing and screening to the city's high-risk African-American population.
The East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley for its HIV-AIDS Immigration Law Project, counseling people with HIV-AIDS who encounter legal problems.
Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo for a program that provides food and acupuncture to people with HIV-AIDS in Richmond.
"While HIV-AIDS is present throughout all the communities Kaiser Permanente serves, the disease looks different from one community to the next and affects people in very different ways," Michael Allerton, HIV operations and policy leader for Kaiser's Northern California region, said in a prepared statement. "These grants ensure we help target underserved populations with an emphasis on culturally competent care."
credited by: bizjournals.com
The announcement was timed to coincide with an international focus on the issue Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Local grants of $25,000 each will go to:
Allen Temple Baptist Church's AIDS Ministry program in Oakland, which provides prevention education to teens and others.
California Prevention and Education Project, an Oakland-based program, providing HIV testing and screening to the city's high-risk African-American population.
The East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley for its HIV-AIDS Immigration Law Project, counseling people with HIV-AIDS who encounter legal problems.
Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo for a program that provides food and acupuncture to people with HIV-AIDS in Richmond.
"While HIV-AIDS is present throughout all the communities Kaiser Permanente serves, the disease looks different from one community to the next and affects people in very different ways," Michael Allerton, HIV operations and policy leader for Kaiser's Northern California region, said in a prepared statement. "These grants ensure we help target underserved populations with an emphasis on culturally competent care."
credited by: bizjournals.com
UFCW, Safeway talk nonstop as contract deadline nears
With the current contract scheduled to expire at midnight Dec. 1, negotiations are continuing around the clock between Safeway Inc., the Pleasanton-based supermarket giant, and the United Food & Commercial Workers union.
Negotiators said some progress has been made in the contract talks, but there still remains a wide disparity on "economics" issues.
Safeway (NYSE: SWY) employs about 25,000 workers represented by four UFCW locals throughout Northern California.
If no agreement is reached, UFCW members may begin voting as early as this weekend to authorize a strike against Safeway. If workers vote to do so, a walkout against Safeway could begin shortly after the vote is tallied.
Negotiators could also decide to extend the current three-year contract so talks can continue.
The strike threat would involve only Safeway, since UFCW negotiators have already reached agreement on a new four-year contract with Raley's Inc., the West Sacramento-based company that operates Raley's and Nob Hill Foods supermarkets in the Bay Area; and Save Mart Supermarkets of Modesto, which operates Lucky and Save Mart stores throughout the region.
"Both parties are bargaining in earnest and are working hard to achieve an agreement before the contract expires," Ron Lind, president of UFCW Local 5, said in a statement also issued by his fellow UFCW local presidents throughout the region.
UFCW Local 5 represents unionized supermarket employees in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Santa Clara counties, along with several neighboring counties in the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region.
credited by: bizjournals.com
Negotiators said some progress has been made in the contract talks, but there still remains a wide disparity on "economics" issues.
Safeway (NYSE: SWY) employs about 25,000 workers represented by four UFCW locals throughout Northern California.
If no agreement is reached, UFCW members may begin voting as early as this weekend to authorize a strike against Safeway. If workers vote to do so, a walkout against Safeway could begin shortly after the vote is tallied.
Negotiators could also decide to extend the current three-year contract so talks can continue.
The strike threat would involve only Safeway, since UFCW negotiators have already reached agreement on a new four-year contract with Raley's Inc., the West Sacramento-based company that operates Raley's and Nob Hill Foods supermarkets in the Bay Area; and Save Mart Supermarkets of Modesto, which operates Lucky and Save Mart stores throughout the region.
"Both parties are bargaining in earnest and are working hard to achieve an agreement before the contract expires," Ron Lind, president of UFCW Local 5, said in a statement also issued by his fellow UFCW local presidents throughout the region.
UFCW Local 5 represents unionized supermarket employees in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Santa Clara counties, along with several neighboring counties in the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region.
credited by: bizjournals.com
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