About 70 unionized employees at Hospice East Bay in Pleasant Hill began a seven-day strike Monday, protesting planned layoffs and what they describe as stalled contract negotiations and labor violations by the hospice’s operator, Chapters Health System Inc. The workers, members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, include nurses, social workers, pharmacists, chaplains and bereavement counselors. They are opposing the planned elimination of 21 full-time positions, including the hospice’s executive director. The union says the layoffs are set to take effect Oct. 16. One concern is the effect on grief counseling. The union says the cuts would leave two bereavement counselors to support roughly 1,200 patients and their family members. “We’re about to be down to only two counselors, which means we can’t offer all the services we know help those in grief,” said Dawn Torre, a bereavement counselor at the hospice. Hospice East Bay said it would continue operating during the strike, using a contingency team of clinicians to provide necessary care, handle daily operations and admit patients. The organization said administrative staff and physicians would be available for urgent needs and volunteer services would continue without interruption. Tonya Lyons, the hospice’s regional clinical director, said the organization was disappointed by the strike and remained committed to bargaining. She said Chapters Health System was seeking an agreement that supports the nonprofit’s long-term sustainability. The union says Chapters leadership has delayed bargaining sessions since taking over operations in October 2025 and withheld merit raises. It has also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that two employees in union positions were laid off and then offered their same jobs without union protections. Those are allegations by the union; the complaint’s outcome was not reported. The union also objects to a proposed 2.5% raise that it says would allow the employer to increase workers’ health insurance premiums at any time. Workers joined the union in 2023 and have not yet reached a contract, according to the union. Chapters Health System, a Florida-based nonprofit hospice network, took over Hospice East Bay in October 2025 and incorporated it into a regional network with hospice providers in California, Nevada and Oregon. The California attorney general’s office approved the network’s formation in August 2025, subject to requirements that the facilities remain nonprofit hospice providers, maintain appropriate staffing and care programs, and report annually on compliance. The attorney general’s conditions also required Chapters to offer employment to staff in good standing and honor existing employment agreements. The union says the planned cuts include a regional restructuring that would replace Hospice East Bay’s executive director with a director overseeing multiple facilities. A Chapters Health System spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Monday. The strike is scheduled to last seven days.