Latest News - December 2014

December 23, 2014
LABOR: Nurses work without contracts in two counties
Source: THE PRESS ENTERPRISE
By: FIELDING BUCK

Nurses at Riverside Community Hospital are working without a contract and in negotiations over working conditions.

Talks will continue in January after members of Service Employees International Union Local 121RN staged an informational protest in front of the facility, according to chapter president Lorraine Myrick.

In a phone interview, Myrick described the nursing staff as overwhelmed and did not feel safe in the hospital. They said they want better lighting and more patrols by security.

Other issues on the table include salary, staffing levels, workload and mandatory overtime, she said.

Cherie Russell, spokesman for the hospital, confirmed in a phone interview last week that she was unable to discuss negotiations.

Earlier in the month, a walkout by nurses caused a shutdown of San Bernardino County’s Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for two days.

That action was by a different union, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, which represents more than 1,200 nurses in the county.

It was announced days in advance, causing the hospital to transfer most of its patients to other facilities. It produced no resolution.