![[Image via California Nurses Association.]](https://theavtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/AVH-strike-2.jpg)
The strike began around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, and was scheduled to conclude at 6:59 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, CNA officials said.
The nurses’ contract expired in July of 2015 and attempts to negotiate a new contract broke down.
“The breakdown is due to management trying to weaken our contract and weaken our rights to advocate for patients,” said Maria Altamirano, RN, who has worked at the hospital for nine years. “Right now, we are fighting for critical staffing protections and resources for our nurses to ensure patient safety. We are often so short staffed that we cannot even take breaks, and nurses work 12-hour shifts.”
“The current working conditions lead to trouble retaining and recruiting experienced nurses for our patients,” Altamirano continued.
Antelope Valley Hospital has been managed by Alecto Healthcare Services since November of 2015. In a statement released this week, CEO John Rossfeld said Antelope Valley Hospital spends approximately 56.65 percent of its revenue on wages and benefits — compared to Palmdale Regional, which spends 44.99 percent, and Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, which spends 40.79 percent. The union’s proposal would increase the hospital’s spending on wages and benefits to 65 percent of its revenue, which was unsustainable for AVH, according to Rossfeld.
Hospital officials stressed that patient care would not be affected during the strike.
“While we are disappointed that the nurses opted to move forward with a strike, we want to assure the community that the hospital is fully staffed with trained and experienced nurses from Nurse Bridge. Patient care has always been and continues to be our top priority,” stated Dr. Doddanna Krishna, chairman of the board of directors for the Antelope Valley Healthcare District.
Hospital officials reportedly signed a contract With Nurse Bridge Consultants for replacement nurses to staff the hospital during the strike.
Though the strike was scheduled to end Thursday morning, the replacement nurses were hired for a five-day period. Nurse Bridge posted a recruitment notice for nurses on its website for a five-day strike period starting Sept. 28. [Read the notice here.]
It was unclear Wednesday what AVH nurses would do if they were unable to return to work when the strike ended Thursday morning.
“The hospital is spending 3.9 million dollars to hire replacement nurses during this strike — patient care dollars that are leaving the hospital and our local economy,” Altamirano said. “That money could have gone toward new OR equipment, more nurses, more technology for the community…”
“They are fully staffing the hospital with these RNs, who do not even know our community, [while] they are short staffing their own nurses. The nurses deserve better, the patients deserve better,” Altamirano continued.
UPDATE: In a statement released from Antelope Valley Hospital, officials said:
“We are asking nurses to respect the process and not come to campus if they are not scheduled to work. Those who do will be sent home without pay as their shift will have already been staffed by Nurse Bridge. Regular nursing shifts will resume on October 3…”
“The hospital will welcome its nurses back to their shifts and, ideally, resume negotiations with CNA’s bargaining team. We recognize that in the end we are all part of the same AVH family wanting to fulfill our mission and serve the community’s ongoing healthcare needs.”
Previous related stories:
Rossfeld appointed CEO of Antelope Valley Hospital
AV Hospital board cites quality healthcare as top priority with new management contract
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Gycela says
I’m an RN of 20+ years…. I put in my application for a part time position at AV Hospital and I have yet to get a call for an interview…. there is something very wrong here and obviously not just the RNs are in trouble with short staffing and pt with long waiting… the HR dept has a problem too.. I’ve lived in this community for 20 years and would love to be part of the solution. What can I do to help?
Micki king says
I’d like to know exactly how much an hour does a CNA make at AVH? What is starting hourly wages and what is top wages for senior CNA’s? Another question I have is if the hospital has enough money to pay temp nurses why couldn’t they just give raises and additional staffing to existing CNA staff? Why are CNA required to work 12 hour shifts? What is the point of job burn out? From what I can tell from reading p newspaper articles and comments here CNA have real litigitamat complaints that management could easily resolved if they only had an emphatic bone in their bodies.
Ashley says
At the Board of Director’s Meeting when Lex Reddy was introduced as the newly appointed CEO, the first words out of his mouth were “how many here have GOOGLED my name?” RED FLAG❌ Interviewer Committee? REALLY????
person of intrest says
this is what happens when you vote for the people that run the hospital they hire ppl like Alectro who run the place down and then buy it and the board gets all the kick back they have to many members that have reason to become dishonest board members as for the hospital i have been there 2 time and each time i was treated very well and most of the time i use the VA in LA no problems there ether i think there are just a lot of cry babys out there that arnt happy with anything get a life wait til we get hillery care
louisb says
I wouldn’t take my dog to Palmdale Regional Hospital. That comparison doesn’t hold water.
B.B. says
Palmdale Regional Hospital is outstanding and highly rated. Plus you don’t get a contact high sitting in the waiting room in the ER.
Shane Falco says
This is true. I’ve delivered many many patients to old Palmdale Hosprital ER, LCH, AVH and new Palmdale Regional. AVH has to take anybody and everybody. Nurses can blame Alectro but it’s the illegals, and all the bottom of the barrel dregs not paying for treatment that have left the hospital without funds or funding.
Palmdale Regional is for profit. It’s new and has the absolute top of the line in technology and has even attracted top notch doctors and nurses from Cedars and UCLA. I’ve had two surgeries at Palmdale Regional instead of Henry Mayo and it was not crowded, the pre and post op were the best and it was clean, not crowded and my wife was even impressed with the cafeteria.
Tim Scott says
Two surgeries, and still a jerk. Sad. They should have let you die.
Shane Falco says
They work work related in service to the people. Tore up a shoulder and a knee on different calls and had surgery, rehabbed them and went back to work instead of a disability retirement.
Great surgeons, great nurses and great facility in Palmdale if you have insurance.
Pleasantly Pleased with AVH says
Both my son and I had outpatient surgery at AV Hospital. Both of us had the same type of experience. The check-in staff was knowledgeable and caring. The nurses in the outpatient area, were fantastic, friendly, professional, and great at making you feel comfortable. I did not care for my anesthesiologist as she was mostly interested in her anti flu shot theories. Doctor was okay. The recovery staff was also fantastic and caring. I went in concerned about what the visit would be like, and left satisfied that I was treated well. The waiting rooms, on the other hand, were nasty and dirty. The hospital needs to spend some money on capital improvements and janitorial staff. So, don’t be haters on the staff, they are not the politicians running the place. Blame ObamaCare, because he don’t.
Michael Rives says
Come on, don’t you just love the directors and manager of Alecto? They care so much about us that they will spend 4 million dollars, at least, to protect us from the hospital employees by hiring temp nurses who are not knowledgable ( no one is perfect) and just wing it when you arrive at the Emergency Room department. Who says I want great treatment, just put on a Band-Aid and let me go. That is the way to do it with Alecto. Why waste time on surgery? Get the sucker in and get him out!
Maria A. says
The Nurses at Antelope Valley Hospital are doing the best they can do,
of course it has to do with under staffing and an the big patient traffic
that goes through the emergency room. A.V Hospital people at the top treat your nurses
and patients the same way you would like you or your family members would
like to be treated. show some dignity towards your employees and clients
coming to your hospital by giving your nurses what they need.
James says
When will these nurses wake up. Union is STILL getting paid while nurses are not!
Palmdale hospital nurses get paid more and guess what, they are non union.
Get the union ouy of AV hospital and you will see both better pay wages and more staffing because you don’t have a union gouging and screwing with day to day operations.
Support nursing, get union out!!
Union had a need 50 years ago.
Eric says
This comment is 50 years old! We need the union so management doesn’t screw over the nurses and workers that make the hospitals run. The best hospitals in the U.S. Have been run through union. If all you care about money than something is definitely wrong with your morals. This is the first time in 61 years that av hospital nurses have gone on strike. CNA is one the largest unions in the U.S. and is garnering more support throughout the country. KP just recently went on strike as well. Management must know nurses make this thing run. The Palmdale hospital is new but not better- that’s the normal scare tactic of managers- to say that you will make less if you get Union. It is here to support nursing staff and the patients.
Joel says
This person doesn’t know what they are talking about.
Unions protect jobs , if it weren’t for our union the hospital would do what ever they want with theirs employees. Believe me those fat cats upstairs would love to see unions gone from their hospitals.
Please reflect on your thoughts before you come on here and type nonsense.
Laura Nichols says
James, you could not be more ignorant. Competitive pay and better staffing is not dictated because you do not have a union.
Retention of good nurses, understaffing, noncompetitive pay, and lack of resouces occur in hospitals across America, regardless of union backing. These factors lead to unsafe work environments and lack of resources. Nursing is up there as being one of the most underpaying jobs, in the medical field, for the work that is expected to be done.
Nurses are expected to be highly educated and accountable for little pay. On the flip side, these nurses provide fantastic care dispite staffing and resources. They never indicate to their patients that they are short. Nurses stay late and work extra days so that people receive the care we they need.
Imagine having to work a 12 hour day three times a week. You get up and get ready, that takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You drive to work, some people drive an hour to get to work. You work for 12 hours. You work short which means you take more patients, more responsibility, and more liability. Your job requires physical and emotional demands. You are so busy taking care of other that you do not get a chance to take care of yourself. You do not get a lunch or break. You have not gone to the bathroom.
You stay late to finish charting because this is not a job where you can come back the next day and finish what you were doing. You deal with unhappy people, rude families, and, a lot of times, not so nice physicians. You finally get home. Your 12 hour work day has turned into a 13 hour work day and that does not include the time getting ready for work and getting to and from work. This also does not include time spent arranging child care (if you have children). You have now been up for 16 hours.
You spend minimal time with your family. You eat and go to bed because you have to repeat the process in the morning. You work your 3 days and then are mandated to work a 4th because the unit is short staffed. Not only have you worked over at the end of shift you are now being questioned by your manager about your time management. You do it because this is your calling, to help others.
Nurses do generally asked for better pay. In fact, better pay, is usually lower on the list of demands. Nurses are asking for better staffing so that they may have safer work environments. The demand for better pay is just simply being paid what they are worth. For example, they want to be just as much as other nurses in the same market.
Everyone has a different set of struggles in their careers. I just know that if it were me or my family I would want the best care possible and that means that there needs to be better staffing to provide better patient satisfaction and safety.
I hope that everything works out for these outstanding nurses.
Miguel says
Divide and conquer… stronger together. James its far more then just the pay there’s other things you need to negotiate like medical retirement the benefits that they try to take away. so yeah take your extra 10$ an hour but don’t cry when your retirement sucks and you overpay for your healthcare.
Jamie says
Prime Healthcare and Alecto are one in the same. I highly suggest the public read these articles to educate yourselves. So anyone who thinks this is solely about “wages and benefits,” you’ll learn that you couldn’t be more wrong. Our COMMUNITY is losing so much more.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/prime-healthcare-ceo-abruptly-steps-down-15033
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-prime-feds-20160717-snap-story.html
Thanksbutnothanks says
My youngest son was born at AV hospital 13 years ago, we had Tricare (military insurance) and the treatment received was absolutely abhorring, I wouldn’t let my dog give birth here.
Update to September 2016:
From the moment you walk into the emergency room to the time you get discharged, you feel like you are in a distasteful reality show. The check-in personnel don’t care, the security officers don’t care- no one cares….oh, and the characters that show up are scarier than anything I’ve ever witnessed. They sent my son to AV Hospital for a workers’ comp issue, he needed stitches on his hand, we spent 6 hours in the ER for the NP to put medical adhesive on his would and send him home. I tried to call my insurance to take him to a private hospital because the whole experience was unmentionable, however; because it was WP I couldn’t do a single thing. All I can say is “NAUSEATING”, sorry but you don’t have our support and I’ve made sure I mention our experiences to every single coworker and family member in the area. Start with customer service 101 training for every single employee and then go on strike!
Jamie says
You are completely missing the point.
Trust me, the staff RECOGNIZES the many issues this hospital is faced with and THAT’S why they are striking. Because something HAS to change. They are fighting for that change.
The long wait time?? Staffing issues that begin and end with upper mgmt. (again, part of the reason for the strike) Not to mention this facility was built for a population 1/3 it’s size. The community has grown, and due to lack of funding, AVH hasn’t.
The “scary characters?” Welcome to the AV. This is not the nurse’s fault either.
That’s good that you spread the word to save you friends and family the same horrible experience, I would do the same. But once again, point missed. In the event of a terrible accident or a heart attack/stroke, guess what?? YOU MAY NOT HAVE A CHOICE TO AVOID THIS HOSPITAL. So why not support the people who are trying to change things for the better?? Because without the communities support, nothing will change. You can be sure of that.
Francisco says
Antelope Hospital is one of the worst hospitals I’ve ever been in. I was taken into the hospital by ambulance after a car accident. The ambulance people had to stay with me the whole 6 hours I was there and I never even got a room. I stayed in the busy hallway with the ambulance people. I was never even seen by a nurse. I was told this happenens everyday and that people often never even get a room.
Jamie says
Yep!! This is why they are striking! Something has to change!! But mgmt is more worried about their own pockets than our community…this is apparent when you look at this company’s history. But what do you expect from a company who is being investigated by the FBI for fraud. (and that’s FACT).
ERIK says
My wife is an RN. Her dept. is extremely short staffed. How does this affect the lives of my family?
On my wife’s days off she gets calls into work. It never fails.
Our little girls miss her.
She works in the ICU & feels that YOUR care is important & short staffing is dangerous toward patients in need.
She rarely gets a lunch break.
That is the perspective from a man who is married to a nurse. She cares so much for her work & it is hard to fathom the Board & Alectro’s choices during all of this. This hospital serves an extremely large area & these nurses work hard. The doctors are all sympathetic to the nurse’s cause as well. I hope things get better…