Lawyers for the University of California will head to court tomorrow to try to prevent nurses at five UC hospitals from going on strike. More than 11,000 nurses statewide plan to walk off the job on Thursday.
Nurses are upset over what they argue are unsafe staffing levels. They claim UC hospitals don't comply with the state law that mandates strict nurse-to-patient ratios in all hospital units.
UC officials want to block the strike, arguing that it would risk patient safety.
Bryan Liang is with the California Western School of Law. He says UC officials may have a point.
"On the other hand," Liang said, "if the nursing arguments are in fact true, that there hasn't been enough being done to make sure that the rules are enforced, that's also a patient safety risk."
Barring a court injunction, 1,300 nurses at San Diego's two UC hospitals said they'll strike on Thursday. It would be the first nurses' strike against the UC system.
