Long Beach Memorial nurses say work conditions are unsafe — for themselves as well as patients
The unions representing nurses at the hospital campus have been locked in contentious contract negotiations with management since early February.
For two years, nurses at Long Beach Memorial have been requesting additional safety precautions, including metal detectors at entrances. In December, a patient brought a gun into Long Beach Memorial. While no violence occurred, the incident underscores their fear, staff says.
The California Nurses Association and National Nurses United have been locked in contentious contract negotiations with Long Beach Memorial management since Feb. 5. Six bargaining sessions have taken place so far, with the contract set to expire at the end of March, according to CNA representative Sandra Ocampo.
While the groups have reached tentative agreements on minor details of the contract, talks have stalled on some major sticking points, resulting in an informational picket line by dozens of nurses and union representatives Tuesday morning.
One major point of contention is nurse-to-patient ratios, according to staff. Brandy Welch, a registered nurse at the hospital, said that on a daily basis nurses are submitting assignment despite objection forms, which informs supervisors the nurse believes their assignment is unsafe for patients.
“Many times it’s not having enough ancillary staff or just not enough breakers or other roles that are needed to care for our patients, safely,” Welch said, adding that broken equipment and a lack of supplies are also common issues during a shift.
“In an immediate response, we’re having to hunt down supplies or order them,” she said. “Their system needs to be more efficient.”
Workplace violence from patients and their family members is also a major concern for staff, Welch said. In addition to weapon detectors at the entrances, Welch explained that staff has repeatedly requested increased security as well as training to deescalate intense situations.
Welch recalled an incident where a patient’s parent quickly and aggressively approached her using vulgar language.
“I thought I was going to get hit,” Welch said, adding that she informed her supervisor as well as human resources about the incident. “But the parent was still allowed to return.”
Welch said she does not fault patients’ loved ones for becoming emotional or aggressive in many cases, as dealing with the stress of the health care system in addition to the health issue can be overwhelming.
“It comes down to making sure your loved ones are cared for — it’s a very stressful position to be in,” Welch said. But the fact remains that staff must be protected when emotions run high, she added.
Hospital management has said that without certain takeaways, including removing the right to take public action and removing RN Educators as union members, no agreement will be reached.
Memorial officials did not respond to request for comment Tuesday.
Negotiations have not even begun on pay raises, Ocampo said, adding that management doesn’t want to get into economics discussions until an agreement is reached on other issues. The nurses will likely hold monthly actions as negotiations continue, she added.
“I don’t see how they’re going to retain workers,” Ocampo said, adding that nurses plan to hold monthly actions as negotiations continue.
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