(MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA) - Registered nurses (RNs) employed at Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) in Monterey, California have voted – overwhelmingly, to join California Nurses Association (CNA), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the Nation’s largest and fastest-growing RN Union.

Nearly 500 Nurses voted to join the CNA in a Union Election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The CNA will now represent 800 Nurses at CHOMP.

Nurses moved to Unionize because of concerns over chronic short staffing.

Due to short staffing, Nurses cannot give each patient the optimal amount of time to address their unique and specific care needs, they said.

In addition, because management does not staff the Hospital adequately, Nurses are denied coverage for their breaks during their 12-hour shifts, meaning they are forced to either work without eating or leave their patients under the care of a Nurse who already has a full patient assignment.

Finally, Nurses are deeply distressed management chose to close down the cafeteria in the evening, leaving patients without access to hot food.

Out of concern for their patients, Nurses have purchased hot meals for patients using their own money, Union Officials said.

Nurses contend CHOMP has more than enough money to address the community’s needs. 

They note that from 2020 through 2024, CHOMP spent more than $31 million on compensation for its top six executives, including $11 million going to Steven Packer, CHOMP’s former President and CEO. 

RN Kim Campbell said: “This is a great day for the Monterey Peninsula Community and the patients we care for. I spent more than thirty years at CHOMP in the Emergency Department and I recall when this was genuinely a Community Hospital and patient-focused institution. I am so pleased that by forming our Union, we will now have a voice to advocate for our patients, create an environment that will help recruit and retain excellent Nurses and make improvements for our patients.”

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Photo Courtesy Of The CNA/NNU.