San Francisco Nurses Fight for Kaiser Employee Terminated Over DACA Status | KQED

"Dozens of nurses rallied outside Kaiser San Francisco on Monday to advocate for a San Francisco nurse who is set to lose her job - after the federal government did not process her temporary legal status in time. Outside of Kaiser on Monday, dozens of nurses chanted: "Defend DACA now," calling on the hospital to extend the nurse's unpaid leave. In a statement read aloud by fellow nurses at the rally, the soon-to-be-terminated nurse wrote: "I feel devastated and torn to pieces to be in a position where the fault lies with the innocent.""

""So, I ask Kaiser to extend my leave, because I want to thrive, too," it said. "To replace a nurse with her level of expertise is extremely painful for the organization - it's expensive, it hurts our morale as nurses and it hurts patient quality of care," Simpson said. "It seems like a really easy decision, but for whatever reason, they are holding their ground.""

"Nurses pointed to a stark contrast with the University of California health system. Maureen Dugan, a UCSF registered nurse, said at Monday's rally that the UC's union contract explicitly protects DACA nurses from termination during renewal delays - and guarantees recall rights if they are temporarily let go. "UC is committed to supporting DACA staff," Dugan said. "We won that language in our last contract negotiations.""

Dozens of nurses rallied outside Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco to advocate for a nurse who is set to lose her job after federal processing delays prevented timely renewal of temporary legal status. Nurses chanted “Defend DACA now” and urged Kaiser to extend the nurse’s unpaid leave. The nurse said she felt devastated because the fault lay with people who were not responsible for the delay and asked Kaiser to extend her leave so she could thrive. A nurse leader said replacing a nurse with her level of expertise is painful, expensive, harms morale, and reduces patient quality of care. A UCSF nurse said a union contract protects DACA nurses from termination during renewal delays and provides recall rights if temporarily let go.

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