More than 2,500 registered nurses who work at five Sutter corporation hospitals will go on strike for one-day Thursday April 30, among some 6,400 RNs who will participate in walkouts next week at various hospitals in California and Illinois.

Some 1,550 registered nurses who work at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) are preparing to hold a one-day strike April 30. UCMC will be preventing nurses from returning to work for an additional four days following the strike.

Citing more than 40 violations of federal workplace protections that made a “free and fair election impossible,” the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United has called on federal officials to overturn the disputed election at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Ca.

Registered nurses at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital have overwhelmingly voted to ratify a first union contract with hospital management, culminating a yearlong campaign persuading the University of Southern California to invest in patient care improvements at the hospital. The agreement includes contract protections for nurses to advocate for improved patient care, as well as wage and benefit improvements to enhance recruitment and retention at the hospital.

More than 150 registered nurses, their families and supporters are expected to attend a march and candlelight vigil Thursday to protest worsening patient care conditions at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and a proposal by management to reduce nurse staffing levels.

A hearing on legislation to hold California non-profit hospitals accountable on how much charity care and community benefit services they provide in return for their tax-exempt status has been postponed a week – to Wednesday, April 29.