Providence Santa Rosa Memorial nurses begin two-day strike over pay and staffing

Two-day walkout at a regional trauma center

The walkout is scheduled to end at 5 p.m. on Wednesday 28 October. Providence said on 21 October that it had contracted replacement nurses and that the work stoppage will not affect daily operations.

Union president Peter Brackner told the Press Democrat the union represents 795 registered nurses at the hospital, and 98% of those who voted authorized the walkout. The hospital is the only designated Level II trauma center serving Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Napa and Marin counties, KQED reported, and it provides 24-hour care for critical, life-threatening injuries and emergencies across that region.

Brackner spoke from the picket line on Tuesday. "It's on fire here," he told KQED. "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."

Contract expired, talks stalled

The contract, originally signed in September 2023 and in effect since October 2023, expired on 30 September 2026, KQED and the Press Democrat reported.

Talks began in early August and went through ten sessions without a deal, the Press Democrat reported. The union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board the day after the contract expired, saying Providence did not provide information on its economic proposal, including wages, to allow the union meaningful time to respond.

Brackner said the union asked for a federal mediator and a mediator said Providence did not yet agree to have one present. Providence said the union raised federal mediation at the most recent session and the hospital immediately agreed to pursue it. The union issued a 10-day strike notice within hours of that agreement, Providence said, adding that the union had not indicated any movement toward a strike during the ten sessions. Brackner said management never formally agreed to a mediator at the bargaining table.

Brackner said Providence gave the union "a max of six hours for negotiation" at one stage, which he called "precious little time". Providence said the start and end times for bargaining sessions were determined by mutual agreement.

Wage discussions were in the very early stages, the hospital said. "A strike notice at this point in the bargaining process is unfortunate and unusual," it added in its 21 October statement.

Pay, breaks and retirement

The union lists several proposed takeaways: higher benefit costs, cuts to night-shift differentials, less paid time off and elimination of the 401(a) employer retirement contribution. The union also says the hospital wants to prioritize nonunion travel nurses over association members, which Brackner said would leave fewer hours for current staff.

Brackner said Santa Rosa Memorial nurses are paid about 10% less than nurses at Sutter and well below nurses at Kaiser. They also get 24 hours or more less paid time off a year than some comparator hospitals, he said.

He also said the hospital has not funded dedicated break-relief nurses, leaving on-duty staff unable to step away, and he called that a patient safety issue. "You want rested nurses, and you want someone to be able to cover those breaks, taking care of patients," he said. "Our nurses actually take care of very high-acuity patients."

The union is also asking for more auxiliary staff to improve patient transfer times and help cover nurses' breaks. "We're working with minimal staff most of the time," Brackner said.

Brackner said Providence told the union the hospital had not made money in six years and that management said the nurses "will have to right the ship". About 100 other staff at the hospital, represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, negotiated a three-year contract in 2025 that also covered Petaluma Valley Hospital and provided 11%-14.75% wage increases, the Press Democrat reported. Brackner said the union wants competitive benefits. "If the benefits are so much better at these other hospitals, it's going to be hard to do that," he said of keeping nurses at Santa Rosa.

What happens after the picket

Providence said its bargaining team looks forward to returning to the bargaining table after the strike ends. The hospital has argued that walkouts do not settle contracts. "They delay them and keep caregivers from getting the pay and benefits enhancements they deserve," its statement said.