As reported in the Contra Costa Times, today is the first day in a planned five-day strike by nurses at the Children's Hospital of Oakland. At issue is the refusal of the nurses' union, California Nurses Association-National Nurses Unified, to accept changes that would require them to contribute up to $4,000 a year toward their PPO premiums if they elected not to enroll in a high-deductible PPO or an HMO-style plan with Kaiser Permanente. You can really understand the union's position on this. After all, the average nurse at the hospital makes about $140,000 a year, so asking them to contribute towards their health care is simply inhuman. And the hospital is rolling in money. Well, not counting the $31 million it's lost since 2009.
In any case, we're sure the sick children in the hospital will see the nurses' side of the argument.
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