Registered nurses at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula have overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the California Nurses Association in an election that ended Friday, Jan. 30. The vote has yet to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board, but according to CNA, nearly 500 of CHOMP's 800 nurses voted yes.
It will be the first union in the hospital's 91-year history. CNA will now represent all 800 registered nurses at CHOMP.
"This means everything to me and my fellow colleagues at CHOMP. It means we've got a seat at the table. It means with regard to patient care, patient safety we will have a voice in the policies," says Kristine Olalia, an orthopedic surgery nurse with the hospital for nine years.
She and other nurses celebrated at Dust Bowl Brewing Co. in Monterey shortly after the win was announced.
"Cheers everybody!" someone called out as they raised their glasses in celebration.
Patient care was one of the main drivers of CHOMP nurses organizing to form a union, starting about a year ago. They met quietly for months before announcing their intent on Dec. 5, by filing with the NLRB.
The election began on Wednesday, Jan. 28 and concluded Friday morning.
"Montage Health respects the outcome of the vote and the voices of our nurses at Community Hospital," said Monica Sciuto, public information officer for Montage Health, CHOMP's parent company. "We honor their decision and will work within the new framework to maintain our shared commitment to exceptional patient care and a positive work environment."
Nurses who have spoken with the Weekly in the past say they had been reporting their concerns about patient care without satisfactory results. Their frustration led them to contact at least two unions about representation. They chose CNA, an affiliate of National Nurses United.
Olalia says nurses have been concerned about short staffing, or in some cases having to take on too many serious cases at once, which means patients may not receive all the attention they need. According to a CNA press release, nurses have been denied coverage for breaks during 12-hour shifts, resulting in nurses working without eating or leaving patients under the care of another nurse who already has a full patient load.
Olalia says nurses also deal with equipment that doesn't work, like blood pressure cuffs, thermometers and suctioning devices. In addition, nurses are upset that the cafeteria isn't operating in the evening, leaving patients without hot food.
The next step is for nurses to elect a bargaining team and prepare to negotiate their first contract. Negotiations will address the same issues that drove nurses to unionize in the first place, according to the press release.