“We are ready to meet and bargain with the hospital at any time,’’ said union spokesman John Vellardita. “The hospital should get smart and realize that they can stop this train wreck by sitting down to the table and bargaining with us in good faith.’’

Elected officials joined the workers at the entrance of Stanford Hospital yesterday to urge hospital management to resume negotiations.

Service Employees International Union Local 715, which represents more than 1,300 nursing assistants, food service workers, housekeepers and anesthesia technicians at the hospital, voted last week to reject what hospital officials claimed was their “last, best, and final offer” and authorize a strike, said Vellardita.

the hospital management’s refusal to return to the bargaining table is an unlawful labor practice, and the union has filed a lawsuit against the hospital, Vellardita said.

Hospital officials said in a statement yesterday they were disappointed to learn of the union’s strike announcement in the wake of “two months of good-faith negotiations.”

“While we would like to return to the negotiating table, we have made our last, best and final offer and it is very fair and competitive,” Christopher G. Dawes, president and CEO of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, said in a prepared statement.

“If the union presents a proposal that is within the framework of our offer, we will, of course, return to the table,” Dawes said.

Hospital officials say they are prepared for a strike and have been working on a contingency plan to ensure that patients are not affected.

“Patient care is our No. 1 priority and we’ve made a commitment to maintain normal operations during this period,” said Martha Marsh, president and CEO of Stanford Hospital and Clinics.

The hospital workers, whose contract expired on Nov. 13, are demanding higher wages and job security provisions in addition to a better health care package.

An additional 1,300-plus university workers represented by the union, including maintenance, laboratory support and food service staff, voted to authorize a strike earlier this week.

Both groups are involved in contract talks and are making similar demands, including more comprehensive health insurance, Vellardita said.

University workers are also fighting for a more secure pension plan, according to Vellardita, and are scheduled to resume negotiations with the university on Dec. 8.