Strike at St. Luke's Averted; Settlement Reached Between SEIU-UHW and St. Luke's Hospital Overwhelmingly Approved Today by Union Membership.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Management at St. Luke's Hospital (SLH) and union leaders for the Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) have reached an agreement which will avert a scheduled strike by service employees at St. Luke's Hospital. The agreement was overwhelmingly approved by union members late this afternoon.

The settlement is especially important because of the negative impact a strike at St. Luke's would have had on the community. St. Luke's is one of two "safety net" hospitals in San Francisco that treat patients regardless of their ability to pay.

"St. Luke's serves the neediest patients in San Francisco, including the uninsured, and underinsured - virtually anyone who comes to St. Luke's seeking care," said the hospital's CEO, Dr. Martin Brotman. "A strike would have severely damaged health care for these groups and posed a threat to the entire community we serve."

Dr. Brotman expressed his personal appreciation to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi for her assistance in resolving the labor dispute, and to Mr. Lou Giraudo, a highly-respected civic leader and San Francisco businessman trusted by both labor and management, who served as a constructive and effective facilitator of the negotiations.

"Their commitment to achieving an equitable compromise proved to be the key," Dr. Brotman said. "They deserve all of San Francisco's appreciation."

"We look forward to a new, collaborative relationship with SEIU-UHW that benefits our patients and creates the best working environment for our employees as we focus on revitalizing St. Luke's, one of San Francisco's most important healthcare providers," said Dr. Brotman.

The strike had been scheduled to begin on November 14, 2005.

About St. Luke's Hospital

St. Luke's Hospital is a full-service, 260-bed private non-profit hospital, providing quality health services to all San Franciscans for over 130 years. St. Luke's Hospital offers a full range of services including: 24-hour emergency care, inpatient and outpatient surgery; labor, delivery and maternity; cardiac catheterization and a cardiac care center; a neonatal intensive care unit; oncology services, a full-service imaging department (MRI, mammography, CT scan, bone densitometry) and diabetes and asthma education programs. St. Luke's capable and caring staff is uniquely qualified to provide high quality health care to the diverse cultural populations of San Franciscans.

St. Luke's Hospital is an affiliate of Sutter Health, one of the nation's leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers, which delivers high quality care in more than 100 Northern California communities. Sutter Health supports more than two dozen locally run acute care hospitals and physician organizations, medical research facilities, physician and nurse education programs, and region-wide home health, hospice and occupational health services.