Hundreds of nurses go on strike at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks
Hundreds of nurses and other hospital workers at Los Robles Regional Medical Center on Wednesday began a five-day strike they say is driven by inadequate staffing that increases the risk of mistakes involving medication and other care.
About 300 of them lined the sidewalks in front of the Thousand Oaks hospital, blowing whistles and holding signs that said “Burnout caused this turnout” and “You won’t break my soul.” The strike continues until 7 a.m. Monday.
SEIU Local 121RN represents 800 nurses and other health care professionals at the hospital. Union leaders said nearly all of the members are honoring the strike although an exact count was not available. Hundreds of nurses at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center in Los Angeles County and Riverside Community Hospital also went on strike Wednesday.
All three hospitals are operated by the for-profit HCA Healthcare, one of the largest hospital systems in the nation.
Hospital officials said the strike is the first-ever at the Los Robles Health System. They said they’ve contracted with backup staff who will help keep all hospital services open throughout the labor action.
“We are disappointed by the union’s decision and think it is absolutely unnecessary, given the serious efforts we have invested in bargaining since May,” hospital leaders said in a letter on the Los Robles website. “It’s evident the labor union has not taken these sessions seriously and has intended to strike all along.”
Union members said they are striking to send a message about their frustrations over staffing shortages that they contend regularly push the hospital out of state-mandated ratios. They said inadequate hiring and retention means nurses are asked to do too much.
"They're not able to give the kind of care they want to give, long to give," said Kimberly Kim, a hospital social worker and striking union number.
Nurses said the increased workload means patients may not always get medication on time and may not be taken to the bathroom when they need to be. They say turnover has risen because newly hired nurses are frustrated at the pressures of being understaffed.
“Mistakes are more likely to happen when you have this many patients to take care of,” said Kami Miller, a nurse and a member of the bargaining team.
Hospital leaders said the claims about staffing violations and jeopardized care are untrue and noted Los Robles was ranked as one of the nation's safest hospitals this year by the Healthgrades rating system.
Hospital leaders said previously they’ve offered raises of 6% for the first year of the contract, 4.75% the second year and 3.25% the third year. Union members say the strike isn’t about compensation but about the lack of staff.
“They completely took advantage of us during COVID,” said nurse Rebecca Lainfiesta. She contended staffing issues driven by turnover, COVID-19 work absences and rising patient numbers during the pandemic still have not been adequately addressed.
Staffing concerns at hospitals across US
Staffing levels have sparked alarm at health care systems nationwide. In September, the issues helped push more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers to walk out for three days in the nation’s largest-ever health care strike.
In 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, Los Robles nurses announced they would launch a 10-day strike on Christmas Eve over staffing and COVID-19-related issues like personal protective equipment. A settlement on a new three-year contract was reached just days before the planned stoppage.
On Wednesday, Los Robles employees accused the hospital’s owner, HCA, of cutting corners to maximize profits.
“We know they can hire more (workers),” Miller said, citing reports of more than $1 billion in profit in the second quarter of 2023.
Some union members said plans to start the strike the day before Thanksgiving were driven by a required 10-day notice and the timing of negotiations. Others said the holiday strike is also designed to put more pressure on Los Robles.
Four more bargaining sessions have been scheduled beginning on Tuesday. Union members said they could strike again if an agreement isn’t reached.
In a written statement, Thousand Oaks Mayor Kevin McNamee pushed the two sides to work toward a solution.
“Patient care,” he said, “is paramount.”
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Nurses strike at for-profit Los Robles hospital in Thousand Oaks
