Registered nurses at UCLA Medical Center and UCSF Medical Center will hold rallies and press conferences on Wednesday, April 27 to demand the University of California (UC) address critical, ongoing staffing and patient safety issues highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) today.

UC nurses will share their concerns about patient care, safe staffing issues, and the overall lack of cooperation by UC management and demand that the university prioritize patient care over profits.

“Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses have been outraged as we have watched our hospitals fail to provide the basic resources to protect us, such as personal protective equipment and adequate RN staffing,” said David Yamada, a registered nurse at UCLA. “For the past two years, management has publicly called us heroes while at the same time failing to adequately address the ongoing needs of the frontline staff and continuously violating our contract protections. As we head into bargaining this year, we want UC management to know we are ready, willing, and able to fight for our patients and our profession.”

• What:   UCLA rally and press conference for safe staffing
• When:  Wednesday, April 27 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• Where: UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center,
                757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, Calif.

• What:   UCSF rally and press conference for safe staffing
• When:  Wednesday, April 27 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
• Where: UCSF Parnassus, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, Calif.

“Throughout the Covid pandemic, UC nurses have had to fight management for safe staffing and the workplace protections we need to safely provide the care that our patients and communities deserve,” said Michell Palacios, a registered nurse at UCSF. “Now, as we prepare to return to the bargaining table, we are more ready than ever to hold UC accountable to the needs of our communities and to demand the university prioritize safe patient care over profits."

The University of California and the California Nurses Association will begin negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement this summer. This action is being done in collaboration with nurses from UC facilities across the state.

California Nurses Association represents more than 17,000 nurses in the University of California health system and is affiliated with National Nurses United, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of nurses, with more than 175,000 members nationwide.