Nearly 5,000 registered nurses at 15 hospitals in Northern California walked off the job Wednesday morning to begin a two-day strike, the Oakland Tribune daily reported on its website.
Patients arriving at these hospitals were greeted by picket lines, although hospitals say they remain open and plan to provide care as usual by hiring replacement nurses.
But some patients have opted to postpone elective procedures or reschedule appointments, according to the report.
The nurses union called the strike after contract negotiations failed to resolve the dispute over nurse staffing levels and proposed changes in health care and retirement benefits.
The strike is slated to end Friday morning, but when the nurses will return to work will vary from hospital to hospital, the newspaper said.
Source: Xinhua
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