Dozens of workers at California-based Hospice East Bay on Monday launched a seven-day strike.
The strike includes 70 bereavement counselors, chaplains, nurses, social workers and pharmacists at the hospice. The workers joined the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) in 2023.
Staffing concerns include challenges such as high caseloads and long travel times amid a recent round of layoffs, said Claire Eustace, chaplain at Hospice East Bay. More terminations are set to occur at the hospice, which will worsen working conditions and negatively impact quality, according to Eustace.
“Hospice professionals face high caseloads and long drive times. These conditions will get even worse after the impending layoffs,” Eustace told Hospice News in an email. “We’re seeing the quality of our services being diminished, and we want to let our community know what’s happening and secure a seat at the table to advocate for better care for the families we serve.”
Founded in 1977, Hospice East Bay serves three counties in northern California and operates Bruns House, a general hospice inpatient facility. The hospice affiliated with the Florida-based nonprofit Chapters Health System in Oct 2025.
Through the affiliation, the hospice joined Chapters Health West, an extension of the home-based care provider’s footprint into Nevada, California and Oregon. Chapters Health West developed from an affiliation of four hospices with Chapters, including Hospice East Bay, Nathan Adelson, Hospice of Santa Cruz County and Willamette Vital Health.
The number of workers employed by Hospice East Bay has declined since the affiliation, while contract bargaining has stagnated, NUHW said in a press release. Negotiations had centered around compensation and changes to employee benefits, the union indicated.
A small group of employees were laid off last year at Hospice East Bay. Chapters Health was set to layoff an additional 21 full-time workers at the hospice effective Oct. 16, according to the union.
The hospice’s staff raised concerns about burnout risk due to large caseloads. Following the layoffs, Hospice East Bay will have only two bereavement counselors to serve a census of roughly 1,200 patients and their families. Interdisciplinary hospice staff will have less time to provide sufficient levels of patient support, Eustace said.
“We want Chapters to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract that includes fair wages and protects our health benefits,” Eustace said. “We also want to cement a voice for caregivers at our hospice, especially with Chapters planning to lay off so many workers.”
Chapters Health System has established plans to maintain continuity of care at Hospice East Bay during the temporary strike, a statement shared with Hospice News indicated. The plan includes having a team of trained hospice professionals available to assist with patient care and ensure timely access. The professionals will assist with volunteer coordination, admissions and daily operations at the organization’s general inpatient center, as well as medication and medical equipment management.
The hospice is working to create a collaborative environment of opportunity and growth, according to Tonya Lyons, regional director at Hospice East Bay.
“As a nonprofit, patient-focused hospice provider, we are deeply disappointed by the National Union of Healthcare Workers’ plan to strike,” Lyons said in the statement. “The Hospice East Bay team continues to bargain in good faith and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement that will lay the groundwork for long-term sustainability and ensure the ability to grow into the future.”
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