Hundreds of St. Francis medical workers strike Monday

LOS ANGELES - Hundreds of medical personnel at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood walked out Monday at 6:30 a.m., the start of a five-day strike against Prime Healthcare which owns hospitals in 14 states.

The medical workers plan to march, picket and chant because of what their unions call chronically dangerous short staffing and patient care practices. The union says St. Francis has been losing registered nurses since Prime bought the hospitals in 2020.

In 2017, registered nurse turnover at St. Francis was 24.01%, according to reports from the unions.

In 2022, the national average for registered nurse turnover was 22.5%. From 2020 to 2022, registered nurse turnover at St. Francis more than doubled to 50.42%.

St. Francis registered nurses have filed more than 6,000 staffing objection forms with the California's Department of Public Health since June.

There are 600 registered nurses represented by UNAC/UHCP striking at St. Francis and 900 other health care workers -- including nursing assistants, medical assistants, vocational nurses, emergency room technicians, respiratory therapists, and environmental service aides -- represented by SEIU-UHW. The 900 SEIU-UHW health care workers are striking at Prime hospitals in Centinela, Encino and Garden Grove.