By Samuel Strait – Reporter at Large – April 19, 2022 It seems that local nurses employed by Sutter Health are an unhappy lot. They expressed this dissatisfaction by resorting to an appearance on the sidewalk in front of the local hospital waving signs expressing their dismay. This brave group facing the cold and rainy weather common in Del Norte County, has been in negotiations with Sutter Management for ten months and have yet to reach an agreement. The concerns that appear to be at the center of disagreement are safe staffing levels, workplace violence, and pandemic readiness. What was interesting about this particular strike was, no mention of increased compensation, the most often issue that striking workers complain about. We have regularly been apprised of the growing need for more professionals in medical fields for years, and one must assume that this has become an issue at the local hospital. The past two years of Covid hysteria have no doubt been a significant factor in the loss of appetite for young people to enter the field of healthcare. Those that are striking have not made it clear what would change in their circumstances if Sutter Health could not improve staffing levels nor how to affect any change in Sutter's efforts to increase said staff. Clearly if the problem lies solely with Sutter Health, striking nurses would have some idea what changes to propose, other than insist that increased staffing which may not be possible in today's medical world. Workplace violence and staff safety should be of major concern in a hospital anywhere. Short fuses and personal health issues are an ugly combination to contend with in a hospital setting. The medical community as a whole has lost much of the trust of many in the community over the past two years of Covid hysteria, something that will take time to reestablish. People have become less trusting of the medical establishment having their best health issues in mind and correspondingly are often not on their best behavior while being treated. As with public interactions with police, security in the workplace can only get you so far. Again what solutions have the nurses offered that would improve that scenario? Simply hiring in both cases does not assure a better situation in the workplace. Finally, the call for personal protective equipment stock piles to comply with a State law, really? Was there any noticeable shortages over the past two years of PPE? Would a three month stock pile have changed anything going forward? This cannot be a major issue for nurses in this negotiation. If State law compels the Hospital to have such stocks in hand, why is this even an issue? Clearly there are issues that are not for public consumption in this congress of conflicting sides. The fact that wages are not an issue becomes rather peculiar in the light of a strike and the hospital's reaction to it. A lock out does not seem to indicate that a shortage of nurses exist, at least as it has to do with administration and their ability to assemble contracted replacement workers. One can only speculate what obstructs both side from coming to an agreement. Staff shortages seem questionable, lack of work place security maybe, PPE shortages Wow, that's a reach. What ever the problems that remain from getting both sides to an agreement remain to be seen. The issues that have been publicized seem to be easily solved to both sides satisfaction. So what are the real issues that would cause a group of nurses standing out in the rain to protest?