RNs plan to demand better for nurses and patients

Nurses in El Paso, Texas, will hold a rally Thursday, April 25, at Las Palmas Medical Center as they begin negotiations on a new union contract with HCA, the facility’s owner, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). Nurses from both Las Palmas and Del Sol medical centers will attend and speak at the rally, and they say their key priorities for their new contract are intended to improve patient care and working conditions at their facility.

“People in El Paso look out for each other, and for us as nurses, that means speaking out for our patients at the bedside and at the bargaining table,” said Ariana Lucio, RN at Del Sol Medical Center. “We’re ready to fight for a strong contract that improves our hospital, and we’re not alone here in El Paso or across the country.”

Who: Nurses from Las Palmas and Del Sol Medical Centers
What: Bargaining kick-off rally
When: Thursday, April 25, 8 a.m.
Where: Las Palmas Medical Center, 1804 N. Oregon St., El Paso, Texas

“All the nurses from Del Sol and Las Palmas are proud to stand together, and we’re not alone because nurses across the country are bargaining with HCA right now,” said Juan Anchondo, RN at Las Palmas Medical Center. “Together, we’re united in the fight for better patient care and better working conditions at HCA hospitals.”

“This is a historic year for thousands of nurses at HCA hospitals across the country, as NNOC/NNU is bargaining at 18 hospitals in six states,” said Cathy Kennedy, RN and president of California Nurses Association/NNOC. “El Paso nurses are joining nurses across Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, and Nevada at the bargaining table this year. Our union is taking on a health care giant, and we’re doing it together.”

In a new NNOC/NNU survey of nurses involved in HCA bargaining, 68% of nurses said they infrequently or never had enough staffing coverage to take their meal and rest breaks. Additionally, 84% said their assignments and responsibilities had increased in recent years, while 72% said patient care quality had decreased.

HCA, the largest health system in the country, advertises over 180 hospitals in its network. The company self-reported over $5.2 billion in profits in 2023 but regularly shuts down vital health services at its hospitals. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, HCA has reported over $31.7 billion in profits since 2018 and executive compensation totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. HCA CEO Sam Hazen was the highest-earning hospital executive in the country in 2023, with overall compensation of $21.3 million.

HCA co-founder and major shareholder Thomas Frist, Jr., who has extensive experience serving as an executive at HCA, currently ranks in the top 40 of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans and the top 65 of the Bloomberg Billionaire Index of the world’s 500 richest people, with an estimated net worth of nearly $30 billion.

NNOC/NNU represents nearly 450 nurses at Las Palmas Medical Center and more than 460 nurses at Del Sol Medical Center, totaling over 900 nurses represented at HCA facilities in El Paso.

National Nurses Organizing Committee is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates also include California Nurses Association, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.