Members of the California Nurses Association held a one-day strike Sept. 6 at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital.
The union represents more than 250 nurses at the hospital, which is part of Cedars-Sinai, a nonprofit academic healthcare organization based in Los Angeles.
The nurses' contract with the hospital expired Feb. 28, and the two began negotiating a new labor contract in early 2023. By August, union members had voted to authorize a strike. Cedars-Sinai said in a statement shared with Becker's that during negotiations, the hospital had "hoped to avoid a strike with highly competitive contract offers that reward the skill, talent and dedication of our represented registered nurses while securing their long-term future as our hospital grows." However, the hospital prepared to remain fully open and operational during the strike, which included arranging for replacement nurses to cover for employed nurses who chose to strike.
The union contends the hospital has failed to adequately address nurse recruitment and retention issues affecting patient care during negotiations. "Cedars-Sinai management is driving nurses away from our hospital faster than they can hire them. We're striking because enough is enough. It's time management gets serious about the conditions driving nurses away from our facility. A fair contract that implements nurses' solutions to these problems is the best way to do that," Sophia Sabido, RN, said in a Sept. 5 union news release.
"While we respect the right of our represented registered nurses to participate in a strike, we strongly believe these kinds of activities distract from important work that can be done only through constructive discussions at the bargaining table," Cedars-Sinai said in its statement. "We have already reached agreement on many mutually important topics."