Santa Clara County doctors' union calling for strike
SAN JOSE (CBS SF/BCN) – The union that represents doctors in Santa Clara County's public health system announced that it will call Wednesday for a strike to begin in about 10 days.
The Valley Physicians Group, which represents more than 450 doctors, scheduled a news conference for Wednesday to announce a 10-day notice for a multi-day strike to take place in early November.
Doctors and union leaders will hold a news conference to discuss the issues at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Main Hospital at 751 S. Bascom Ave.
In a news release Tuesday, union officials said negotiations had reached an impasse and cited working condition issues -- such as manageable workloads and increased staffing levels that impact patient care and physician mental health -- that remain unresolved between the union and county management.
Negotiations have already reached agreements on the salary structure of the next contract.
"We resolved the salary terms in our contract, but we are not willing to leave our patients behind," said Dr. Stephen Harris, union chair. "Our patient workloads and staffing levels hold a direct relationship to the quality of patient care we can provide. A strike is a last resort, but it is a stand we are ready to take for our patients. If we are forced to strike, it is because county management and leaders are coming up short on prioritizing patient care."
The union announced last week that 93% of members casting ballots had voted in favor of authorizing a strike.
At the time, county officials said in a statement about the strike authorization vote, "We continue to negotiate with our VPG-represented staff and hope to reach an agreement."