RNs at Southern California Hospital – Culver City to protest unsafe working conditions and management’s decision to violate their union contract

Registered nurses at Southern California Hospital – Culver City (SCHCC) will hold an informational picket tomorrow, to protest the hospital’s recent decision to violate their union contract, impose unsafe scheduling practices, and ignore much needed safety repairs and upgrades to the facility, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

CNA/NNU notified SCHCC on June 18 that nurses will hold an informational picket.

Nurses are holding the informational picket to urge SCHCC to respect their current three-year union contract, which is in effect until March 31, 2023, and focus on making urgently needed repairs to the facility and to repair and upgrade broken equipment that nurses need to provide care. Last month, hospital administration notified nurses that they planned to abolish the established self-scheduling practices, which nurses fought for and won in their union contract.

“SCHCC has failed to adequately fix broken equipment, continually lacks the resources to effectively care for our patients, and is understaffed,” said ICU nurse Myra Gamble. “We as nurses sacrificed our lives and families to care for our patients and for the community of Culver City. In the meantime, SCHCC still managed to make millions during the Covid pandemic. All we ask is for the hospital to finally put patients and staff first, not profits.”

• Who:    RNs, concerned community members, patients, and families
• What:   Informational Picket
• When:  Wednesday, June 30, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
• Where: Southern California Hospital – Culver City in front of the Tower bldg. (facing the main steps of the hospital), 3828 Delmas Terrace, Culver City, CA 90232

“We have had our CNA union since 2004 when the hospital was known as Brotman Medical Center,” said Valerie Selden, RN in telemetry. “We have previously had a respectful relationship with hospital management. For the present chief nursing officer (CNO) to try to unilaterally impose a new scheduling model on the RNs is disrespectful and a violation of our collective bargaining agreement. Nurses have a physically, mentally and emotionally demanding job and our CNO should not be trying to make it harder for us to function effectively.”

Selden continued, “Nurses and other hospital staff put their health and lives at risk caring for Covid patients while the hospital did not prioritize employee safety and a safe working environment. Protect the nurses who are protecting their patients and their community.”

SCHCC nurses say they will never stop fighting to prioritize patients, especially during a pandemic when patients’ conditions are more severe.

CNA represents more than 350 nurses at Southern California Hospital – Culver City.