Watsonville Community Hospital registered nurses today said the former community hospital, now part of a mega national for-profit chain, is threatening to prolong the dispute with its RNs by imposing a lockout following Tuesday's one-day strike. Watsonville RNs held the strike to call attention to the hospital's refusal to address the nurses' concerns about serious staffing shortages and the risk it poses to patient safety. The 300 Watsonville RNs are members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.

Watsonville Community Hospital registered nurses will begin a one-day strike tomorrow morning, Tuesday, October 26 to protest serious staffing problems that the one-time community hospital, now part of a mega corporate hospital chain, refuses to address, they say.

Registered nurses, joined by community and labor allies, will rally in Orlando Saturday to oppose the candidacy of gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, citing his history and policies as contrary to the values of nurses and the interests of patients.

A grand coalition of California's leading women's, feminist, and workers' organizations will close out the 2010 campaign with a statewide bus tour highlighting candidate Meg Whitman's lies to the public and her Wall Street values. The California Nurses Association will be joined on the tour by many of the state's leading organizations of women, and by the local working families and working women who would be harmed by Whitman's election.

One day after 780 registered nurses launched a three-day strike against Children’s Hospital Oakland’s attempts to slash their healthcare benefits, hundreds of RNs will rally outside the hospital and be joined by a broad committee of political and community allies this Wednesday, Oct. 13. The allies will include Assemblymembers Nancy Skinner and Sandre Swanson, leading contenders for other offices including mayor of Oakland, nurses from around the Bay Area, and a parade of patients and healthcare activists.