More than 2,200 nurses and healthcare workers at four hospitals operated by Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare plan to strike in September across Illinois, California and Nevada.
Seven notes:
1. One-day strikes are planned to run from Sept. 3-4 at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif., Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif., and Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev., according to an Aug. 24 news release from National Nurses United.
2. Workers are represented by affiliates of the union, which said it represents more than 1,800 nurses and healthcare workers at Prime facilities in California and Nevada and about 400 nurses in Illinois.
3. The union issued 10 days’ notice of the strikes following strike authorization votes, according to the release. Nurses and healthcare workers at the California and Nevada hospitals have been working without a contract since 2025, while nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth unionized in June and are seeking a first contract, the union said.
4. “Nurses have become overwhelmed with the number of patients we are assigned, to the point where we cannot safely assess or attend to all of the patients’ needs,” Vanessa Moreno, RN, a telemetry nurse at Saint Mary of Nazareth, said in the release.
According to the union, employees at the California and Nevada hospitals are seeking improved staffing conditions, among other incentives.
5. “Prime Healthcare is dedicated to quality patient care and respects the rights of our nurses to engage in lawful protected activity, including their right to strike as part of the negotiation process,” a Prime spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “We remain committed to bargaining in good faith and reaching an agreement that supports our nurses, our patients and our community, and are hopeful that a strike can be averted.”
6. Prime said it has plans in place to ensure uninterrupted operations and patient care if the strikes proceed, and that staffing decisions prioritize patient safety and comply with all applicable requirements. The system said it has invested millions of dollars in new medical equipment and infrastructure and millions more in expanding service lines based on community need, including inpatient geriatric psychiatry.
7. Nurses at the 361-bed Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital also held a one-day strike June 11, before the union election. Prime acquired the hospital and seven others from St. Louis-based Ascension in a deal completed in March 2025. Most of the workers involved in the September strikes have struck previously, the union said.
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