CHOMP nurses are officially signaling their intent to form a union.

A majority of registered nurses at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula have indicated they want to form a union with the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, according to a nurse at CHOMP with direct knowledge of the effort.

After months of meeting with nurses and collecting signature cards asking CNA/NNU to represent them in collective bargaining, the union is prepared to file with the National Labor Relations Board requesting a union election. The filing could happen as soon as Friday, Dec. 5. After that, a secret ballot election would be scheduled and a majority vote would be required to unionize.

The nurses' main contention focuses on patient safety and not salaries, according to the source. Current employees who have contacted the Weekly in recent months say that they have concerns about cost-cutting measures and policies that they say put patients at risk.

"Patient safety, it's all about patient safety," the source says. "Because if a nurse hasn't had a break or lunch, blood sugar is low and just exhausted, you're way more apt to make a mistake."

Nurses contend that there have been cuts to the number of aides working in the hospital, putting more pressure on them, among other reductions. They allege that in some cases safety policies are not being strictly followed.

This past year the hospital has come under scrutiny by the California Department of Public Health for two separate incidents that occurred during surgeries in different departments in 2024 and 2025.

Recently the hospital's safety rating with the national rating agency Leapfrog fell from a B to a C, citing issues with surgery-related issues, sepsis-infections after surgery, harmful events and "effective leadership to prevent errors."

A spokesperson for Montage Health, parent company of CHOMP, has said that leaders are aware of the issues and are implementing changes throughout the system. The Leapfrog score in part is due to how the hospital was reporting data to the company, she said, adding that they expect the score to rise in the spring.

"We are not satisfied with this score," Dr. Mike McDermott, Montage's president and CEO since late March, said in a Thanksgiving message sent by email to employees over the holiday weekend, obtained by the Weekly. "This grade reflects documentation and data submission challenges dating back to 2021—not the quality of care we provide or patient outcomes." 

He said they have already taken "corrective steps" that include enhancing processes, resubmitting documentation and additional training.

Past attempts to unionize have not been successful, including one in 2003. CHOMP nurses reached out to the union earlier this year. CNA/NNU organizers then began meeting with nurses over the summer and passing out authorization cards. Reportedly a majority of the nurses have signed the cards, which will be submitted with the request for a union election.

A spokesperson for CNA/NNU declined to comment.

Mindy Maschmeyer, director of Marketing & Communications for Montage, said in a written statement that CHOMP "has always been proud of our strong, collaborative relationship with employees, the positive work environment we provide, and our history as a union-free organization. We believe this partnership, along with competitive compensation and benefits, gives our team a meaningful voice in shaping the organization without the need for union representation.

"That said, we respect the right of our nurses to explore unionization and remain committed to open, constructive communication. Our priority continues to be supporting our nursing team and delivering exceptional care to our patients.”