San Francisco Nurses Picket for Immigrant Patient Safety and Fair Contract

San Francisco Nurses Raise Alarms Over Immigrant Patient Safety

In response to growing concerns about patient safety, registered nurses at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco are set to stage an informational picket on Tuesday, March 25. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) has announced this action as a protest against what they see as the administration's inaction on critical safety issues affecting their immigrant patients.

The nurses alerted their administration on March 14 of their intention to hold this demonstration.

Negotiations for a new contract have been ongoing since September 2024, with nurses pushing for the hospital to address several key demands. These include:

• Ensuring safe staffing levels across all units at all times
• Implementing strong strategies to attract and retain culturally competent nursing staff
• Establishing protections for immigrant patients from potential actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within the hospital premises

The hospital has been experiencing high turnover rates and inadequate staffing, which the nurses argue are detrimental to patient care. These conditions often leave nurses without the ability to take necessary meal and rest breaks due to a lack of available coverage.

"We understand our patients in a way that can’t be taught or replicated because we are connected to this community," remarked Gloria Lau, RN, from the gastrointestinal department. "Chinese Hospital needs to invest in retaining nurses with the language and cultural skills to care for our unique patient population."

Details of the Protest

Who: Registered nurses at Chinese Hospital

What: Informational picket for patient safety and a fair contract

When: Tuesday, March 25, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: Chinese Hospital, 845 Jackson Street, San Francisco (in front of the hospital)

Nurses have expressed frustration over the federal rollback of protections against immigration enforcement in "safe havens" such as hospitals. They have suggested that the hospital adopt policies to shield their predominantly immigrant patient base from immigration status inquiries or potential detentions by ICE within the facility, a proposal that has been turned down by hospital management.

"Hospitals should be places of healing, not fear," said Gwendolin Kwan, RN, from the emergency department. "We want Chinese Hospital to make a commitment to not collaborate with ICE or CBP, not inquire about patients’ immigration status, and protect the rights of immigrant colleagues. So far, they have refused to make that commitment."

According to Jeanie Gee, RN, from the medical-surgical/telemetry unit, "When nurses can’t take meals and rest breaks, patient care suffers. Our patients deserve to be cared for by nurses who are well-rested. Well-rested nurses provide safer patient care."

The nurses at Chinese Hospital joined the California Nurses Association in 2019 and secured their first contract in 2021. Previously, they participated in a one-day strike in 2021.

The California Nurses Association represents approximately 100 nurses at Chinese Hospital.

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 over 200 facilities throughout California and over 225,000 RNs nationwide.

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