Los Al nurses plan strike to urge investment

As of press time, registered nurses plan to hold a one-day strike Sept. 20 at Los Alamitos Medical Center urging management to make further investments into its nursing staff and patient care.

According to a statement released by the California Nurses Association, registered nurses at the facility will hold a one-day strike on Sept. 20 at the Tenet owned Los Alamitos Medical Center.
“This will improve the recruitment and retention of registered nurses and ensure optimal medical care,” said the California Nurses Association in a press release.

The association claims approximately 350 registered nurses work at the Tenet Los Alamitos Medical Center. In addition, they said nurses at seven other Tenet facilities in California will be affected by one-day strikes, they said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Los Alamitos Medical Center acknowledged the one-day walkout but said they are resolved to remain focused on quality care for their patients.

“The California Nurses Association, the labor union that represents many of our California nurses, has announced its intention to hold a strike on September 20 at Los Alamitos Medical Center,” said Tenet spokesperson Jessica Chen.

“We have been negotiating in good faith with union representatives over the last few months in an effort to reach a new contract. We are disappointed that the union is taking this approach,” she said.

In addition, Chen said Los Al Medical Center has “made progress toward a new contract and will continue to negotiate in hopes of reaching a successful resolution.”

“We value our relationship with all our employees, and we are committed to resolving the contract negotiations. While we respect the nurses’ right to strike, patients and their loved ones can be assured that our patients will continue to be cared for by qualified replacement registered nurses and other caregivers during any strike action,” she said.

Moreover, the Tenet spokesperson said the facility will “remain focused on providing safe, quality care to our patients.”