Bay Area hospitals are working to tell their side of the story in a media storm set off by the 34-hospital state-wide strike by nurses that began last Thursday. The nurses’ union (California Nurses Association) is demanding pay and benefit increases.
Children's Hospital Oakland says the average hourly rate for its nurses is $67.31, which equates to $140,000 a year for working 40 hours a week. The nurses’ union is demanding a 12% salary increase over the next three years that the hospital says it cannot afford.