Nearly 2K Nurses Walk Off Job In Long Beach For 24-Hour Strike
LONG BEACH (CBS) — Nearly 2,000 registered nurses at two Southland hospitals took to the picket lines Thursday as part of a 24-hour strike.
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The walk-out affecting Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and the affiliated Miller's Children Hospital began at 7 a.m. Thursday.
The union representing the nurses -- the California Nurses Association -- claims that the hospital won't negotiate health care coverage for the nurses even though hospital costs have not risen.
At issue are the rising out-of-pocket costs to nurses, according to the union.
The nurses are also concerned about the growing number of patients that they have to attend to.
A spokesman for the hospital, however, says that Long Beach Memorial is nonprofit, resulting in money generated going back into the community.
Thursday's walkout marks the fourth within a year and a half in Los Angeles. The last strike took place last September.
