Registered nurses at Tenet hospitals in Arizona, California and Florida intend to strike Sept. 20, calling for investments in staffing and patient care, according to the National Nurses United.
The strikes affect thousands of nurses in the three states.
"Our absolute priority as nurses is to provide excellent care to our patients. With this strike action we are expressing our unity and commitment to win the conditions that support this goal," said Janice Ames, RN, who works at a Tenet hospital.
In Tucson, Ariz., strikes are planned at St. Joseph's and St. Mary's hospitals. Strikes are also planned at:
- Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Fla.
- Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes
- Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, Calif.
- Los Alamitos (Calif.) Medical Center
- Doctors Medical Center of Modesto (Calif.)
- Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif.
- Sierra Vista Regional Med Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
- San Ramon (Calif.) Regional Medical Center
- Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, Calif.
- Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, Calif.
Additionally, the union said nurses in El Paso, Texas, "will hand out flyers and conduct public outreach for optimal patient care at Tenet hospitals" on Sept. 20.
Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare expressed disappointment about the strike.
The for-profit hospital operator told Becker's: "We have been negotiating in good faith with union representatives over the last few months in an effort to reach a new contract. We are disappointed that the union is taking this approach. We have made progress toward a new contract and will continue to negotiate in hopes of reaching a successful resolution."
"We value our relationship with all our employees, and we are committed to resolving the contract negotiations," Tenet added. "While we respect the nurses’ right to strike, patients and their loved ones can be assured that our patients will continue to be cared for by qualified replacement registered nurses and other caregivers during any strike action. We remain focused on providing safe, quality care to our patients."