“This is the first strike that seems solely about the basic protections for frontline workers.”
—Thousand Oaks Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña

On December 10, we announced that Nurses and Licensed Medical Professionals at three Hospital Corporation of America facilities voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike. The vote shows that Nurses and healthcare professionals at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center, Riverside Community Hospital, and Los Robles Regional Medical Center are united and ready to strike, if their Bargaining Team deems it necessary. Union members plead for pandemic safety measures and an end to the manufactured staffing crisis in the hospitals. Here is a round-up of media coverage of the strike vote.


 

On December 14, we delivered a strike notice.

After this show of unity and resolve, HCA agreed to immediate, previously unscheduled bargaining sessions Friday, Saturday and Sunday (December 11–13), bargaining until nearly midnight and, for the first time, bargaining on a weekend.

However, the hospital corporation refused to offer anything more than weak, vague, unenforceable lip service to Union members desperate insistence on meaningful improvement on safe staffing levels and pandemic safety measures.

As a result, in the just-past-midnight hours of Monday, December 14, the Union members’ Bargaining Team knew they couldn’t wait any longer to deliver a 10-day strike notice to the employer—lives are at stake. The notice served to let hospital management know they had 10 days to prepare for our walkout. And all the while encouraging HCA to come back to the bargaining table to work on an agreement that would stop the strike.

READ OUR PRESS RELEASE HERE

 

Shocked Fox 11 anchor: “You would hope that nine months into this we would have PPE for our nurses!”



On December 19, we reached a tentative agreement with HCA, averting a strike.

After marathon negotiation sessions, our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with management. The agreed-upon contract language includes historic pandemic safety guarantees, improved staffing levels, better access to PPE, more testing and better quarantine policies.

READ OUR PRESS RELEASE HERE


On December 29, we ratified the new contract.