MarinHealth Nurses Plan Picket for Safety and Staffing in Contract Dispute

MarinHealth Nurses to Hold Informational Picket Over Staffing Concerns

Registered nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, California, have announced an informational picket scheduled for Friday, December 12. This action is in protest of what they describe as the hospital’s lack of response to critical issues concerning staff retention and patient safety during ongoing contract negotiations. These nurses are represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

Since June 2025, MarinHealth nurses have been in contract negotiations, seeking management’s commitment to enhance staff retention and recruitment, enforce patient safety and staffing measures, and uphold healthcare benefits. Progress on these issues has been minimal, according to the nurses.

A significant concern highlighted by the nurses is the shortage of charge nurses in the cardiac specialty care department and medical-surgical units, which they claim jeopardizes patient safety. Charge nurses are crucial for managing patient flow, making vital decisions, and overseeing both the patients and the nursing staff. Typically, one charge nurse supervises the care of 20 to 30 patients in a medical-surgical unit. However, at MarinHealth, one charge nurse is responsible for up to 70 beds across various floors.

“In the emergency department, we are caring for trauma patients and people whose conditions change in seconds,” said Krystle Davis, RN, from MarinHealth's emergency department. “Some of these patients need significant care, which means they need more nurses.”

Details of the Picket

Who: Registered nurses at MarinHealth

What: Informational picket for patient safety and a fair contract

When: Friday, December 12, 2025, 8:30-11 a.m.

Where: MarinHealth Medical Center, 250 Bon Air Road, Greenbrae, Calif. (in front of the hospital)

The nurses argue that MarinHealth prioritizes financial gains over patient care, as evidenced by the inadequate staffing levels even when nurses are absent due to illness. This situation forces nurses to work without breaks, potentially compromising patient care.

“We are concerned that we will not be able to recruit and retain nurses if the hospital insists on proposals that would more than double health care costs for some of our nurses,” said Lynn Warner, RN, who works in the progressive and metabolic care unit at MarinHealth. “Management is also proposing cuts to incentives for nurses working shifts that are typically challenging to staff, like afternoon and night shifts. This will surely result in a mass exodus of nurses, drastically impacting the care patients receive in the Marin community.”

David DeBruler, RN, from the medical-surgical department at MarinHealth, added, “MarinHealth nurses love our jobs here. We are an important institution in Marin County and we are dedicated to our patients. We want to be here for our community and it’s important the hospital support us so we can support our community.”

The California Nurses Association represents over 700 nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.

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