Nurses picketed at Southern California Hospital Culver City on June 30, 2021 in the early morning hours to urge SCHCC to respect their current three-year union contract, which is in effect until March 31, 2023, and focus on making urgently needed repairs to the facility and to repair and upgrade broken equipment that nurses need to provide care.
In addition to the many physical problems at the hospital, there are now labor issues on the table as well. In May, hospital administration notified nurses that they planned to abolish the established self-scheduling practices, which nurses fought for and won in their union contract.
“SCHCC has failed to adequately fix broken equipment, continually lacks the resources to effectively care for our patients, and is understaffed,” said ICU nurse Myra Gamble. “We as nurses sacrificed our lives and families to care for our patients and for the community of Culver City. In the meantime, SCHCC still managed to make millions during the Covid pandemic. All we ask is for the hospital to finally put patients and staff first, not profits.”
The hospital has been at the center of a “Hero Pay” ordinance passed by the city this summer, and many employees of the hospital have spoken at council meetings in regard to the substandard working conditions and deteriorating infrastructure at the facility.
“We have had our CNA union since 2004 when the hospital was known as Brotman Medical Center,” said Valerie Selden, RN in telemetry. “Nurses have a physically, mentally and emotionally demanding job and our CNO should not be trying to make it harder for us to function effectively.”
Selden continued, “Nurses and other hospital staff put their health and lives at risk caring for covid patients while the hospital did not prioritize employee safety and a safe working environment. Protect the nurses who are protecting their patients and their community.”
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