More than 5,000 nurses sign petition 

Today registered nurses delivered a petition to their employer opposing CommonSpirit Health’s planned layoffs of more than 175 frontline health care workers signed by more than 5,000 nurses. The nurses held a rally and press conference earlier this morning to protest owner and operator CommonSpirit’s proposed layoffs at 17 hospitals in California and their impact on patient safety. The nurses are demanding that CommonSpirit Health immediately rescind the layoffs. Registered nurses at most CommonSpirit facilities in the state are represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

The majority of layoffs are ancillary staff positions, including patient transporters, physical therapy aides, occupational therapy aides, telemetry technicians, unit assistants, clerks, and unit secretaries. Nurses, including nurse educators, wound care and pediatric RNs have also received layoff notices. The loss of ancillary staff will mean less time for nurses to provide care at the bedside with patients as they take on increased administrative work and other non-nursing duties.

The petition stated that nurses “stand with our colleagues in opposing CommonSpirit Health’s plan to implement massive layoffs,” noting that they are “critical positions which are essential for us to provide safe, quality care. … As patient advocates, we will not stay silent about these layoffs – we are obligated to inform our community about the dangers these cuts will have on our hospitals, which will ultimately increase harm to our patients and the community as a whole.”

The petition also said that nurses “reject the Hospital’s plan to have us perform any work previously performed by an employee who is now being laid off. RNs will not perform work outside their classification that interferes with direct patient care responsibilities.”

The petition included the following demands:

1. Immediately halt any planned layoffs of frontline RNs, caregivers, and healthcare workers at our facilities;
2. Provide staffing of licensed and unlicensed personnel based on patient acuity, available resources and our local patient populations, not CommonSpirit’s national standardized “productivity” model; and
3. Prioritize decisions that improve efficiency and transparency without compromising patient care and our nursing practice.

CNA represents nurses in California at the following facilities: Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, Community Hospital of San Bernardino in San Bernardino, Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, Memorial Hospital in Bakersfield, Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, Mercy Hospital of Folsom in Folsom, Mercy Hospital Downtown in Bakersfield, Mercy Hospital Southwest in Bakersfield, Mercy Medical Center in Merced, Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta in Mount Shasta, Mercy Medical Center in Redding, Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Methodist Hospital of Sacramento in Sacramento, St. Bernadine Medical Center in San Bernardino, St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley, and Woodland Memorial Hospital in Woodland.

CNA/National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, represents more than 17,000 nurses at 33 CommonSpirit Health facilities across the country. Common Spirit has issued layoff notices to nurses and support staff at several facilities throughout California.

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.