Judge blocks UC nurses strike

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 7/20/5 | Victoria Colliver

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Sacramento (SF Chronicle) -- A Sacramento judge Wednesday temporarily halted a one-day strike by as many as 9,000 registered nurses set for Thursday at University of California medical centers.

Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster issued the preliminary injunction, accepting a complaint filed by the state Public Employment Relations Board which had argued that the California Nurses Association violated bargaining protocol by calling the work stoppage prematurely.

"We are happy about the court's decision and hope that in the interest of UC, patients and nurses, the union will return to the bargaining table in good faith," said UC spokesman Noel Van Nyhuis.

A hearing on a permanent injunction is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Officials of the nurses' union said the judge’s decision will worsen tensions with the university. Union-supported rallies are scheduled Thursday at 7:30 a.m. and at noon at UC San Francisco, Davis, Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego, as well as the UC Berkeley Health Center.

"Clearly, we’re upset at UC. They're attacking our fundamental right to strike," said Maureen Dugan, nurse negotiator at UCSF. “We work with some of the sickest patients in the state. They’re clearly trying to silence us.”

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“We work with are trying to abandon some of the sickest patients in the state.