LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of hospital workers in the San Francisco Bay area are walking picket lines today. Union employees walked off the job early this morning in a contract dispute over pay, job security and staffing levels. The two-day strike, the second of this summer -- the last one was in July -- has forced hospitals to cut back on patient levels and curtail some surgical procedures. CNN's Greg Lefevre is keeping watch in Oakland on this business, and checks in with us now on the latest -- Greg.</s>GREG LEFEVRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, well, that first walkout on July 6th apparently did not have the desired effect and so the Service Employees International Union is now staging a two-day walkout against eight Bay-area hospitals: 3,500 workers -- these are culinary workers, nurse's assistants, respiratory assistants -- say the workload is staggering. They say there is too much work to do and not enough staff to do it, and they say that is affecting the quality of patient care.</s>DEBORAH COVINGTON, DIETARY WORKER: It's affecting the patients. You have to realize the patients are affected daily. When we're short-staffed, when we don't have enough employees to deliver trays or deliver linen or a nurse to come by your bedside or when you're sitting in emergency waiting for hours and hours and hours to be seen, the patients are affected.</s>TRISHA BARRETT, SUMMIT MEDICAL CENTER: The most profound effect I think for patients and their family members today is to have to go through an angry group of picketers yelling and screaming at them.</s>LEFEVRE: The hospital says it has not transferred any patients during this strike. One of the children's hospitals in the area transferred a number of pediatric cases last July and was not forced to do so this time. The hospitals have offered a 12 percent pay raise over four years in an area where in some cases rent has gone up 40 percent since the beginning of last year. Greg Lefevre, CNN, reporting live in Oakland, California. Lou, back to you.</s>WATERS: All right, Greg.
Hospital Workers in San Francisco Bay Area Stage Walkout