The Chron quoted Alta Bates Summit's vice president for medical affairs, Dr. John Gentile, as suggesting the sympathy strike is meant to unify the unions so that they can bargain collectively for a "master contract," one that applies to all of Sutter Health's campuses. Gentile said that that's an unrealistic goal, as each hospital is run independently even though it's part of the Sutter network.

Here's a breakdown of the SEIU Local 250's complaints against Sutter, as well as Sutter's response to SEIU's charges.