Anaheim nurses strike for safe staffing

By Michelle Morris

National Nurse magazine - July | August | September 2025 Issue

Nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center (WAMC) in Anaheim, Calif. held a one-day strike on Aug. 12 to protest management’s refusal to address their repeated concerns about nurse turnover, which is impacting the quality of patient care.

“Our emergency department is often completely full with a large lobby of patients waiting to be seen,” said Liz Rivera, RN in the telemetry unit. “Having a strong, experienced, well-trained workforce in all units will make a huge difference in getting our patients timely and critical care throughout the hospital.”

WAMC RNs, represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU), urged management to invest in nursing staff and agree to a contract that provides conditions for safe patient care, measures to attract and retain nursing staff, and strict adherence to the legal requirements for nurse-to-patient ratios.

“Because of the nurse turnover that management has refused to address, nurses are given assignments that can put our licenses in jeopardy,” said Raymond Tejada, RN in the direct observation unit (DOU). “For example, nurses are assigned to units where we do not have the appropriate level of experience. That means ICU patients often don’t get experienced ICU nurses, and DOU patients do not get experienced DOU nurses.”

“Nurses’ ability to focus on our most critically ill patients is severely restricted by the hospital's perpetual cycle of new graduate hires, whom we prepare to take full patient assignments but who leave soon after they’re fully trained,” said Heather Foy, RN in the ICU unit. “In my 12 years at WAMC, nurse retention has not been this dire. We are truly exhausted and need real solutions.”

In addition to burdening experienced RNs with training duties on top of their regular assignment of patients, management overloads RNs with supervisorial responsibility over non-RN nurse staff. These conditions create an unsafe work environment that could jeopardize safe patient care and have led experienced nurses to leave the hospital due to stress and moral injury.

WAMC nurses have been in negotiations since February 2025 for a new contract with little to no movement on key issues. After months of negotiations and three days with a federal mediator, management has declared an impasse in negotiations. CNA, which represents more than 360 nurses at WAMC, disagreed with management’s position and asked the employer to continue bargaining in good faith. 

Michelle Morris is a communications specialist at National Nurses United.