More than 7,000 nurses represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 721 were ready to walk off the job at 7 a.m. Nov. 26, the union said. But both sides went back to the bargaining table, reached a deal and averted the strike.
The union said the strike would have affected public hospitals serving 11 million people.
“Los Angeles County is gratified that the bargaining committee of SEIU Local 721 has reached a tentative agreement with the county. This means that the county’s registered nurses will remain on the job, serving vulnerable patients who depend on them and preventing widespread service disruptions that a strike would have caused across our massive healthcare system,” Sachi Hamai, Los Angeles County’s chief executive, told Becker’s.
Jenny Veliz-Urzua, a nurse practitioner who has worked at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., said the deal is a testament to the work of nurses.
“The key was that we stood united, and that’s what really got [the] county back to the table with an agreement that prioritizes patient safety and nurse retention,” said Ms. Veliz-Urzua.
SEIU Local 721 did not reveal specific details of the tentative agreement but said it addresses staffing and nurse retention.
The union expects to disclose more details of the deal soon. The tentative agreement must still be ratified before it takes effect.
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