Nurses Picket St. Rose Hospital Over Two-Tier Health Care Proposal

Nurses Oppose Proposed Two-Tier Health Care System at St. Rose Hospital

Nurses at Hayward, California's St. Rose Hospital are set to hold an informational picket, expressing significant dissatisfaction with the ongoing contract negotiation delays with Alameda Health System (AHS), which operates the hospital. The primary concern among the nurses and the community is the management's plan to lease the hospital's fifth floor to Stanford Medicine, potentially leading to a two-tier health care system that could impact patient care in Hayward.

Who: Registered Nurses from St. Rose Hospital

What: Picket for a fair contract and against a two-tier health care system

When: Thursday, June 25, 2-4 p.m.

Where: St. Rose Hospital, 27200 Calaroga Ave., Hayward, Calif.

"Management has stalled negotiations and blamed missing federal funds," stated Amanda Saad, a registered nurse and charge nurse in the emergency department with two decades of experience at St. Rose. "It’s on our local administrators and elected officials to find a way to preserve patient care and save our health system while maintaining a high quality of patient care for the most vulnerable in the Hayward community. We’re demanding nothing less."

The nurses are urging management to reconsider their decision to subcontract the fifth floor to Stanford Medicine, as they fear it may lead to distinct levels of health care services within the hospital, further complicating access to care for low-income patients.

Additionally, nurses are frustrated with management's lack of response to proposals aimed at safeguarding staff from workplace violence and enhancing staff recruitment and retention. These measures are seen as critical to aligning St. Rose with other Bay Area facilities and those within the AHS network.

St. Rose Hospital, the sole safety net hospital in Hayward, is currently represented by approximately 180 registered nurses under the California Nurses Association. These nurses have been involved in contract negotiations since January 2026.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.

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