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The horror stories from inside keep rollin' in. Bloggers traveling this site relate, and read, about the crazy state of affairs at CPMC. They really need us back in there, but in week three of the strike, CPMC stubbornly insists things are running under "normal conditions."

Normal, like 13 security guards at Davies quitting early one morning over frustration they face from rampant theft and growing problems stirred up by Sutter's scab force. The mass resignation came on the heels of the sudden departure of a security supervisor who reportedly "was sickened by what he was having to deal with."

Strikers have formed little networks of their own, and we hear things. A doc got his laptop ripped off. Patient care is really suffering. From this blog post, we learn that an RN at East Campus (the old Marshall Hale, now part of California Campus) tells us that an untrained scab neglected to report a patient's seriously low blood pressure, infuriating the attending doctor. They had to call an emergency ambulance to hurry the patient over to Pacific Campus.

Countless complaints continue to surface about the lack of hygiene in the facilities. People complain of heaps of garbage building up, no clean linens. Dietary gripes are numerous. We hear about meals being way late, people with special dietary needs not getting the right food. There are tales regarding serious overcrowding and the confusion this generates. An evs manager got so fed up with the craziness he up and quit! This is the grim picture from inside.

In the third week of the strike, spirits run high outside, with pickets at times walking to the sound of a strong musical beat. At Davies, Maria Ramirez, as drummer, and Sung Yim, playing a pocket trumpet, rouse the lines with When the Saints Go Marching In, except pickets insert strikers in place of saints. Same difference. Over at Pacific Campus, Maria Salinas, who works in central distribution, walks with her young son Gabriel, who, pumping his miniature accordion, brings joy and delight to everyone within hearing distance.

Morale is high. Strikers are solid. The sense is running high that we're gonna win. Join our blog, give us your thoughts and impressions.

Sal Rosselli

Comments

[B]

I too sense that Sutter is on the defensive, with all the slick advertising I see in the mail and in the newspaper. Why do they think it's about public relations and putting a shiny smile on things ? That will not cut it.

Ya'll should find a way to publicize your "contribute to a striker/strike fund" site. A lot of people in the area would contribute.

[dave tamo]

14 more former Military Mercenaries hired CPMC security agents were fired for not having proper paperwork to conduct security details in California in addition to extensive criminal records. These security agents were obtained through Soldier of fortune magazine.

[Rebecca Swan]

I am a disabled person and a writer. Thank you for all you do. Keep on keepin' on - for all of us!

swan

[brenda altman]

Now they have the police to hassle strike supporters. I drove by the CPMC California Campus on Saturday morning and customarily honked my horn, I was pulled over by the police and given a lecture on my immature support of the strikers. Hey the cop said do you know what its like to try to get a good nights sleep in the hospital. I was under the impression that the California Campus had no overnight beds but I only my past experience to rely on as a patient there so I did not want to refute his assertion that there were overnight patients at the facility.

He said I was committing a nuisance and that my honking would do nothing to resolve the strike.

He basically said that the strikers were causing unnecessary hardships for the patients and the neighborhood. I did not want a ticket but I said that it was CPMC's problem too. He continued to side with law and order and had no sympathy for the strikers at this point.

Well he didn't give me a ticket and I promised to be a good girl and not honk. He probably felt smug and superior for having that discrectionary power over me.

You know if the police were on strike I would be the first to support them.

Management always hopes that with intimidation and stonewalling that you will go away. Keep the faith if you don't hear my horn honking I am still behind you 100%.

Brenda Altman
neighbor; patient; strike supporter

[emily stone]

thank you for the continued support brenda... nice to hear

[marie delloue]

hey, guys
a great article in the bay guardian this week, very supportive of us and organized labor in general.....a must read to cheer us up.
the davies' rally tonight was really hot, infusing all of us, i hope, with renewed determination.
i have not been on the line for the past weeks, due to being a new grandma and having to help my daughter who, unfortunaly, had complications....
i will be back soon though, but may be sutter will give in before that...
in the hope of, i wish you all good picket line days.....marie delloue