St. John’s nurses demand more staffing and higher wages at rally in Oxnard

About 100 nurses and health care workers demanded more staffing and higher wages at a rally outside St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard on Monday.

Healthcare providers are negotiating a new contract with a hospital run by Dignity Health. Their current contract expires on Thursday.

At the information vigil, members of SEIU Local 121RN waved signs reading “Patients Can’t Wait” and “Safe Staffing Saves Lives” as passing motorists honked their horns. Nurses and other health care workers say staffing shortages mean they can’t always provide the care they need, posing a threat to patient safety and causing alarming levels of stress among workers.

“We want our employer to know that we are tired of takeout,” said nurse Sam Puerta.

St. John’s did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

Nurses said support staff had been drastically cut. They cited a new remote heart monitoring system operating in Arizona that has replaced many of the heart monitors at the Oxnard hospital. On Oct. 15, the Oxnard City Council passed a resolution calling on CommonSpirit Health, Dignity’s parent company, to stop outsourcing its heart monitoring work.

Wages are also an issue. The nurses said Dignity offered annual increases of about 3% and then increased the offer to 4%.

“We were counting on 10%. What we really want is to keep up with inflation,” said nurse Edward Ramirez, who is on the negotiating team. He said union members are negotiating a three-year contract, but hospital officials want a four-year deal.

Union members said the negotiations also include workers at St. John’s Camarillo Hospital and Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Rallies were also held Monday in Northridge.

The picket line was intended to send a message to Dignity, but was not a strike. Ramirez expressed optimism that a resolution will be reached, but noted that union members are prepared to go on strike if there are no other options.

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Contact him at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared in the Ventura County Star: Dignity Health nurses call for more staffing, higher pay.