Union Nurses to Picket Over Layoffs, Warn of Jeopardized Patient Care

Concerns Arise Over Layoffs at Glendale Memorial Hospital

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) has announced that registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California, will stage an informational picket on Monday, August 24. The protest aims to oppose the planned layoffs of essential support staff, which nurses argue could jeopardize patient care.

CommonSpirit Health has decided to eliminate positions for monitor technicians in the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as unit clerks in the medical-surgical and telemetry units. These roles are crucial for the smooth operation of the hospital, allowing nurses to dedicate more time to direct patient care.

Michelle Lasala, RN, who works in the ICU at Glendale Memorial, emphasized, “Patients in our unit are already critically ill. Having a monitor technician allows me to focus on my patients without having to split my attention to monitor rhythms, answer phones, or coordinate with other units. Our monitor techs provide a vital resource that cannot only be measured by metrics or dollars but in timely interventions and lives saved.”

Details of the Picket

Who: Registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital

What: Informational picket for patient safety and safe staffing

When: Monday, August 24, 2026, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Where: Glendale Memorial Hospital, 1420 S. Central Ave., Glendale, Calif., corner of Central and Los Feliz

Despite voicing their concerns to hospital management, nurses were informed that the layoffs are intended to enhance efficiency and productivity. This decision has been met with criticism from nurses who believe it undermines patient health and safety, contradicting CommonSpirit’s mission of offering “compassionate care.” Earlier this month, more than 5,000 nurses signed a petition urging the reversal of these cuts. However, hospital management has decided to proceed, stating that not every scenario can be anticipated and suggesting that concerns should be addressed through the chain of command.

Erin Connor, RN from the telemetry unit shared, “Nurses are already being asked to do more and more with fewer resources. Removing our unit clerk, who provides essential support, will increase the workload on bedside nurses. Nurses are already feeling moral distress and stretched too thin. We urge Glendale management to put patients before profits and do the right thing: Rescind the layoffs.”

Heather Jun, RN, also from the telemetry unit, noted, “As a nurse, I need to be able to closely monitor my patients and meet their direct-care needs. Without the support of my unit clerk to help coordinate communication, assist with admissions and discharges, and support our unit, my attention will be pulled from direct patient care to performing administrative tasks, creating delays in care or missing vital information. This is not putting our community or patients first.”

Financial Context and Union Representation

Nurses argue that CommonSpirit has the means to address the hospital’s staffing needs. According to tax documents, the top 10 executives of CommonSpirit earned over $310.5 million between 2020 and 2024, with the CEO receiving a compensation package exceeding $14 million for the fiscal year 2025.

The CNA represents approximately 550 registered nurses at Glendale Memorial Hospital and more than 17,000 CommonSpirit RNs across California, Nevada, Colorado, and Texas.

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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