Marin General nurses plan 1-day walkout as contract talks stall

Marin General’s nearly 520 nurses plan to walk out of the hospital for one day Thursday as an ongoing contract battle with administration over workplace and safety issues reached a stalemate.

Nurses are asking the hospital to beef up staffing to give colleagues longer breaks and to have more continuity in day-to-day operations and to grant the nurses 24-hour access to lift teams to lower the risk of injuring themselves hoisting heavier patients.

To continue operating Thursday, administration officials said they are bringing in nearly 200 licensed replacement nurses from 7 a.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Tuesday, said Jamie Maites, hospital spokeswoman.

Hospital executives counter the complaints by the California Nurses Association, saying the 11-month negotiations haven’t been fruitful because of a lack of cooperation on the nurses’ part.

“Marin General is an extremely safe hospital not only for patients but also for employees,” he said.

“It makes me angry that they aren’t stepping up and really putting their resources into what it requires to have a good, safe hospital for the people,” she said.