Nurses protest staffing levels, contract barriers in rally at Los Robles in Thousand Oaks

Tom Kisken, Ventura County Star
·1 min read
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Concerns about health care staffing and compensation spawned a union strike vote from Kaiser Permanente employees that could impact Ventura County and also pushed nurses to protest Friday with picket signs at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

On Thursday, more than 60,000 members of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West said they authorized a strike if an agreement on a new contract with Kaiser isn’t reached by Sept. 30. Union officials said it could be the country’s largest health care strike.

The union's workers range from nursing assistants and respiratory care practitioners to housekeeping staff and emergency room workers. They cited allegations, including short staffing, inadequate pay and unfair labor practices.

Kaiser’s sites in Ventura County include clinics, labs and pharmacies. The company is also affiliated with Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura. The impact of a possible strike on various sites isn’t clear, but Kaiser officials said some of the local workers are union members. A strike would also affect workers at nearby Kaiser hospitals, Woodland Hills Medical Center and Los Angeles Medical Center.

A Kaiser spokesperson defended the company's contract offers, noted that bargaining continues and expressed confidence a resolution will be reached.

In a separate action, dozens of nurses and health care professionals in SEIU Local 121RN held signs and rallied in front of Los Robles in Thousand Oaks early Friday morning. Their union’s contract with the hospital expired Friday, and nurses said HCA Healthcare, Los Robles’ owner, is not addressing their concerns over staffing, employee retention and patient safety.

Los Robles officials characterized Friday’s rally as a typical part of union negotiations and said they want to reach an agreement as soon possible.

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: Staffing issues fuel worker unrest at Kaiser sites, Los Robles