Saint Mary's Nurses to Strike Over Staffing and Patient Safety Concerns

Nurses to Strike at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center Over Staffing Issues

Nurses at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, have announced a one-day strike to voice concerns over staffing and patient safety. This action is part of a series of strikes occurring at various Prime Healthcare facilities in Nevada and California. Represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the nurses will strike on February 18.

Negotiations for a new contract have been ongoing since last summer, with little progress on crucial matters. The registered nurses are calling for management to invest in staffing and agree to a contract that ensures safe working conditions, aiming to address high turnover rates among nursing staff.

Details of the Strike

Who: Registered Nurses

What: One-day strike for safe staffing and patient safety

When: February 18, from 6:45 a.m. to February 19, 6:44 a.m.; a rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. on February 18

Where: Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, 235 W. 6th Street, Reno, Nevada

"We are fighting to improve our contract to ensure nurses have the resources and support they need to provide the highest level of care to each and every patient," stated Lena Tran, RN, from the Saint Mary’s medical-surgical unit. "We are advocating not only for our nursing colleagues, but for our patients, by demanding a fair and reasonable contract that puts patient care over profits. Prime isn’t interested in being held accountable to these standards."

During the same week, similar strikes will occur at other Prime facilities, including Centinela Hospital in Los Angeles, Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, and West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, California.

The strike follows a nearly unanimous strike authorization vote on January 14, providing the legally required ten-day notice to hospital employers. This notice period allows hospitals to make alternative arrangements to ensure patient care continues during the strike.

Approximately 350 nurses at Saint Mary’s are represented by the NNOC/NNU. National Nurses United, with over 225,000 members across the United States, is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the country.