Nurses at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Strike to Address Unsafe Staffing and Dangerous Working Conditions

Caregivers at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (PCSTMC)—made up of nurses and other licensed medical professionals and represented by SEIU Local 121 RN—went on a five-day strike, raising urgent concerns about worsening patient care at the hospital, as negotiations for their new union contract stretch into a fifth month. Nurses say they are being forced to shoulder the burden of cost-cutting measures introduced by the hospital that will impact recruitment and retention, resulting in unsafe staffing and worse patient care.

Without adequate staff, nurses are asked to work in units where they lack proper training and qualifications.

“Nurses are floated without competencies or asked to work in areas they’re not properly trained for. We also experience increases in nurse-to-patient ratios without regard to acuity,” said Marietta Sperry, an RN working in the Mother-Baby Department. “Providence is focused on maintaining their bottom line, while nurses are working to improve patient care,” Sperry said.

Caregivers say they are being pushed to fix Tarzana’s staffing problems and prioritize productivity at the expense of patient care and Caregiver morale.

“The hospital’s push for productivity has created an unsafe environment for care, placing patients at risk,” said Caroline Jacks, a veteran nurse at the hospital. “We are understaffed, overworked, and not respected. While the hospital celebrates our productivity, they are slashing our benefits and raising the cost of our health insurance,” Jacks said.

Caregivers also report that they still face pervasive harassment and bullying at the hands of doctors, an issue they protested during contract negotiations in 2022.

“Staff on our surgical team have been verbally demeaned by doctors, even in the presence of patients and during surgical procedures,” said Frank Dibisceglie, a nurse working in the Surgery Department. “Doctors have even hurled racist insults toward Caregivers. When these incidents were reported up the chain of command, we were told to ignore it. This type of abuse should not take place in any workplace, and certainly not in a hospital,” Dibisceglie said.

Recently, Caregivers were informed of hospital-wide changes to health benefits, retirement, and paid time-off, in addition to cuts management has proposed for the new contract. Caregivers say the proposed cuts will worsen staff morale and are an insult to health care workers who made immense sacrifices to care for patients in the community.