Hundreds of registered nurses at Doctors Hospital of Manteca went on strike Thursday in protest of unaddressed working conditions and staffing shortages.
They were part of a 3,100 nurse strike across six Tenet Healthcare Corporation hospitals in California. The one-day strike came after stalled contract negotiations between Tenet nurses, represented by the California Nurses Association, and management, who have been in talks since February, with little movement toward reaching a deal.
Nurses’ demands include guaranteed coverage for meal and rest breaks, improvements to recruitment and retention of experienced nurses, hiring dedicated staff to assist nurses in lifting and turning patients, and what the union described as “safe staffing” levels at all times so there are enough nurses and support staff to assure adequate patient care.
Dozens of nurses and union staff members picketed outside the Manteca hospital for greater public awareness of their demands.
Desiree Lynch, a registered nurse at the Manteca hospital and a member of the nurse’s negotiation team, explained their demands are inline with helping to ensure patient safety.
“Wage increases help retain current staff, and it keeps us at the proper staffing so people aren’t leaving constantly, where we’re short staffed,” Lynch said. “For breaks and lunches, that keeps our staff rested and ready to work. We have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of other people.”
Nurses at the Manteca hospital and others that were striking reported working nearly 13-hour shifts with only brief rest breaks and little time to eat, as there are not enough staff to attend to their patients.
Michelle McKee, another contract negotiator for the nurses union who works at the Manteca hospital, added that nurses want paid time off to recover from their long working hours and be better able to manage their own lives.
“Nurses do need that time to recharge, rest, and take care of things at home,” McKee said. “So, when we’re here, we are feeling our best so that we can make sure that we are doing our best for the patients.”
Lynch shared that McKee, herself and other members of the nurses’ bargaining team traveled last week to Palm Springs in Southern California to negotiate with Tenet representatives, but the company’s officials refused to meet with them.
Lynch said Tenet officials, who were also in Palm Springs, refused to come to the table unless the strike was called off.
Beckers Hospital Review reported that Tenet, in a prepared statement, wrote the company has been “negotiating in good faith with the union to reach a new contract” and had proposed mediation to resolve differences.
“Rather than engage in productive mediation and negotiations, the union provided us with its intention to strike,” Tenet officials said in the statement. The company wrote in the statement it will be ready to resume negotiations following the strike.
However, the healthcare company told the nurses they could not return to work until later this weekend.
“We told them we’re striking for one day, and they said, ‘Okay, you’re not allowed in the hospital until Sunday,’” Mckee said. “They have brought in travel nurses, and nurses who are unfamiliar with how this hospital runs.”
A union member estimated Tenet spent about $6 million to bring in temporary replacements for striking nurses, Lynch said.
In its 2024 financial statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Texas-based Tenet reported the company’s operating revenue was at $20.6 billion, with a net income of just over $4 billion.Tenet’s total expenditures for salaries, wages and benefits in 2024 amounted to nearly $8.8 billion.
The nurses are working to schedule another negotiating meeting with Tenent after the strike and when they are allowed to return to work on Sunday, Lynch said.
The five additional Tenet hospitals affected by the nurses strike include San Ramon Medical Center, Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree.