Hundreds of Nurses Strike at Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Over Wages, Staffing
Hundreds of North Bay nurses are in the middle of a two-day strike at Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, claiming the hospital has negotiated in bad faith and engaged in unfair labor practices.
Nurses walked off the job starting at 5 a.m. Tuesday, after several rounds of unsuccessful contract negotiations between the hospital’s bargaining team and the union, the Staff Nurses Association. The strike is scheduled to last until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Speaking from the picket line, nurse and SNA Union President Peter Brackner said the mood was jubilant.
“It’s on fire here,” he said Tuesday morning. “It was just packed, and nurses are excited to be supporting each other. So there’s a lot of energy here today. Lots of signs, lots of food.”
The hospital is the only designated Level II Trauma Center serving the North Coast region, providing 24-hour care for critical, life-threatening injuries and emergencies to Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Napa and Marin counties.
Brackner said its nurses deserve compensation and breaks that reflect their value.
“Our nurses are being paid about 10% less than the nurses at Sutter and way below nurses in Kaiser. We’re looking at 24 hours or more of less PTO a year. We just tell [administrators] we’re not less than these other hospitals. Our nurses actually take care of very high-acuity patients,” Brackner said.
Negotiations, which the union has characterized as difficult, began in early August.
“The hospital has only proposed takeaways for nurses at this point,” Brackner said. “They actually told us in our last negotiation that they’re not making money or haven’t made money in the last six years. So the nurses had to help right this ship … to help them be profitable.”
The union is also protesting management proposals that would eliminate the 401(a) employer retirement contribution, reduce paid time off and prioritize nonunion travel nurses over SNA nurses.
The union also criticized the hospital for failing to fund dedicated break-relief nurses, leaving on-duty staff unable to step away.
“That’s a patient safety issue too,” Brackner said. “You want rested nurses, and you want someone to be able to cover those breaks, taking care of patients.”
In a statement on its website, the hospital said it was disappointed the union was choosing to strike instead of engage, and that wage discussions were in the “very early stages.”
The hospital said it is well-prepared for the strike and that there should be no impact on patients.
“The hospital will maintain daily operations and has contracted well-qualified nurses to temporarily replace represented nurses who choose to strike,” administrators wrote online.
“At Santa Rosa Memorial, we firmly believe that strikes don’t settle contracts; they delay them and keep caregivers from getting the pay and benefits enhancements they deserve. The hospital bargaining team looks forward to returning to the bargaining table after the strike ends.”
The SNA’s last contract with the hospital, originally signed in September 2023, expired on Sept. 30, 2026.