Some union employees told not to come to work Friday

OAKLAND, Calif. - About 200 Children's Hospital employees who participated in a one-day strike may not be allowed to return to their jobs for almost a week.

Nearly 4,000 nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, clerks and food service workers at 10 Northern California hospitals walked off the job Thursday to protest staff cutbacks. The workers have been without a contract for about three months. Contract negotiations broke down June 26.

A handful of nurses at some hospitals held a sympathy strike on Thursday.

All employees at Children's Hospital who had participated in the strike were told not to show up for work Friday, according to representatives from the Service Employees International Union Local 250.

Some employees arrived at 7 a.m. Friday and were sent home.

In response, the union filed an unfair labor practices charge Friday with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming discrimination against those who participated in the strike.

Since the hospital transferred many patients to other hospitals in preparation for the strike, the hospital was at less than 50 percent capacity Friday morning. The fewer patients meant the nurses also were not needed, explained Debbie McCann, a Children's Hospital spokeswoman.

''It is not unusual for us to cancel shifts when we don't need the extra people to work. Because of the strike we had to hire replacement workers for between four to seven days and there were more shifts canceled than normal,'' she said.

But union officials said the canceled shifts at Children's Hospital were only aimed at employees who refused to cross the picket lines.

Emergency room clerk Helen Christian said she expected to be out of work for at least the next five days.

''I would go into work tonight but a friend told me the security people have my name on their list of people they can't let in,'' said the 10-year hospital employee. ''I can't afford to miss a week of work (but) it's a choice I have made and I'm going to stick by it.''