Community Complaint vs. Sutter-CPMC Discrimination against Filipino Registered Nurses

Warren Browner, Chief Executive Officer, California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC)
Diana Karner, Sutter West Bay Vice-President of Nursing
2333 Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA 94115


RE: Community Complaint vs. Sutter-CPMC Discrimination against Filipino Registered Nurses

Whereas, On August 19, 2010 Filipino community groups, led by NAFCON-NorCal, the Filipino Community Center (FCC), the California Nurses Association (CNA), Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ), and the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) held a press conference at the FCC exposing a clear pattern of discrimination by Sutter Healthвs California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC).

Whereas former CPMC managers have written statements, which indicate that Diana Karner (Sutter West Bayвs Vice President of Nursing) gave orders not to hire any more Filipino or foreign graduate nurses at the St. Lukeвs campus in SF.

Whereas the following statistics demonstrate legitimate cause for suspicion of discrimination: Before CPMC took over the operations of St. Luke on Jan 1, 2007 Filipino RNs at St. Lukeвs comprised 66 percent of the nursing population. Between 2007 and 2008, just 48 percent of new hires were Filipino. From Feb. 2008, to the present, the percentage of new RN hires who were Filipino dropped dramatically to just 10 percent.

I agree to join the campaign to defend Filipinos against discrimination and hold health management corporations accountable to community health and fair employment practices.

I wholeheartedly support the following demands:

1. We urge the SF Human Rights Commission (HRC) to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation of the apparent pattern and practice of discrimination by Sutter CPMC against Filipino Registered Nurses.

2. We request Sutter CPMCвs full and prompt cooperation with the HRC investigation.

3. We demand a meeting with CPMC CEO Warren Browner and Vice President Diana Karner within one month to discuss discrimination against Filipino RNs and specifically the alleged discriminatory hiring directives by Vice President Karner.

4. We further demand that CPMC publicly renounce this discriminatory practice and issue a public apology to Filipino nurses and the Filipino community.

5. Lastly, we demand that CPMC provide equal opportunities and treatment for all job applicants regardless of race, national origin or any other protected status.


*For more information or background on this campaign, please visit www.nafconusa.org, or email [email protected]