Rady Children’s Hospital nurses prepare for strike

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Nurses gathered at the Teamsters Local 542 Hall to make signs and shirts, preparing for Monday, when they plan to strike.

It’s a similar situation for households like the Gaano family in their own home, where Michelle Gaano, a mom and a nurse, says she’s teaching her kids important life lessons.

"A lot of us have worries," Gaano said. "Financially, myself included. This is scary times, and I've tried explaining this for the kids: it's an important fight.”

Gaano has been a nurse at Rady Children’s for more than 22 years. While she supports the need for better pay for her family of five, the better benefits are particularly important.

"Our insurance premiums have gone up 34% since our last contraction in the last three years,” Gaano said.

She says their co-pay for a regular doctor’s visit is $40, which goes up to $1,000 if admitted to the hospital.

"I've been sent to urgent cares, community clinics," Gaano said. "We can't be seen at Rady's, even though I'm an employee, unless we're going to the emergency room.”

Gaano says the hospital’s final proposal this week offers a slight pay increase but significantly reduces nurses' retirement benefits.

"The hope is that we gain some respect from the organization for all that we've contributed to the organization. We're not asking for the world,” Gaano said.

ABC 10News reached out to Rady Children’s Hospital. In a statement, Rady says in part, “ The hospital’s latest proposal was fair, equitable, very competitive, and responsive to the union membership’s stated priorities.”

The nurses are scheduled to go on strike Monday morning.