MONTEREY – Registered nurses at the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula voted this week to join the California Nurses Association, a registered nurse union.
California Nurses Association is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest registered nurse union in the nation, with 100,000 members in over 200 facilities throughout the state and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.
The association already represented numerous hospitals on the Central Coast, including Salinas Valley Medical Health Center and Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, Watsonville Community Hospital, Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister and Mee Memorial in King City.
It will now represent 800 nurses at Community Hospital.
The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, with the final vote count being completed Friday.
“This is a great day for the Monterey Peninsula community and the patients we care for. I spent more than 30 years at (Community Hospital) in the emergency department, and I recall when this was genuinely a community hospital and patient-focused institution,” said Kim Campbell, a registered nurse. “I am so pleased that by forming our union, we will now have a voice to advocate for our patients, create an environment that will help recruit and retain excellent nurses and make improvements for our patients.”
Monica Sciuto, a public information officer for Montage Health, of which Community Hospital is a part of, said in a prepared statement that “Montage Health respects the outcome of the vote and the voices of our nurses at Community Hospital.
“We honor their decision and will work within the new framework to maintain our shared commitment to exceptional patient care and a positive work environment.”
According to a press release from the California Nurses Association, nurses wanted to form a union because of concerns over chronic short staffing, which they say prevents them from giving each patient the optimal amount of time to address their specific care needs.
The release also said nurses are denied coverage for breaks during 12-hour shifts. This leaves them either having to work without eating, or leave their patients under the care of another nurse, who already has their own full assignment of patients.
The hospital, according to its nurses, has “more than enough money to address the community’s needs.”
“I am thrilled we will be able to start bargaining on the things that matter most like patient care, safe staffing and workplace violence prevention policies,” said orthopedic unit nurse Kristine Olalia.
Nurses will move to elect their bargaining team and prepare to negotiate their first contract.