Ventura County nurses say they want less empty hero talk, more competitive wages
Nurses asking for more pay and benefits told the Ventura County Board of Supervisors Tuesday it’s not enough to be praised for their work on hospital front lines.
“Honestly, we need less lip service that we are heroes and more tangible evidence we are valued,” Santa Paula Hospital ICU nurse Kersti Lewis said.
Dozens of nurses and other health care workers represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United packed the board room wearing red in solidarity. They are pushing for a pay increase and a cost-of-living adjustment in pensions in changes they say will help a short-staffed county health system hire and keep more experienced nurses.
The workers' contract with the county expires Friday. Financially, the two sides remain far apart, said Katie Dornbos, member of the union’s negotiating team and a neonatal intensive care nurse at Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura.
She said the union is currently asking for a raise of “roughly 24%” over three years and the county is offering less than 15%. She said the workers also need the type of cost-of-living increases in retirement that other unions receive.
Nurses said current wages are less than state averages and what other local hospitals pay. They said far too many county nurses leave for other health systems or because they’re burned out by pressures that mounted during COVID-19.
“I beg you to invest in us,” said Lisa Magallanes, an emergency room nurse at Santa Paula Hospital. "Our community deserves it and so do we.”
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Barry Zimmerman, director of a Ventura County Health Care Agency that operates two hospitals and a network of clinics, said the agency, like many hospital systems nationwide, is experiencing staff shortages and is offering retention and hiring bonuses. He declined comment on specific contract issues because he is not at the bargaining table but expressed optimism a resolution will be reached.
“We are trying to work toward a competitive wage within the safety net system we operate,” he said.
Nurses complain shortages that worsened during the pandemic mean they’re asked to do too much, going without meal or rest breaks and compromising patient safety. They complained care is also affected by the reliance of hospitals on traveler nurses who typically work for agencies that contract to provide temporary staff across the nation.
A county official estimated $23 million will be spent on traveler nursing at the two county hospitals and an in-patient psychiatric unit over the fiscal year. Nurses said the travelers can be paid three times as much as staff nurses but are often less experienced and have no ties with the community.
“Nurses who have been here through thick and thin feel under-appreciated,” said Karla Melena, a labor and delivery nurse at Ventura County Medical Center.
Bargaining sessions are set for Thursday and Friday.
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: Ventura County nurses demand better pay, work conditions
