FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25, 2018

CONTACT: Terry Carter,  (805) 312-0024

Encino hospital found guilty of violating labor law. RNs to receive $1.156m in back pay & interest after a 7-year fight.

Los Angeles—The Registered Nurses of Encino Hospital Medical Center, part of Prime Healthcare, ended their 7-year struggle to regain the wages denied them over a four-year period.

Prime dragged the case out during ruling after ruling in the Nurses’ favor, taking it all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals—which also ruled that Prime violated the law. On October 24, 2018, the National Labor Relations Board finalized in RNs’ Unfair Labor Practice suit against Prime Healthcare for failing to continue paying contractual anniversary step wage increases from 2011 to 2014.

“It was disheartening to have our employer fight us like that. And it’s made it hard to rebuild trust that the hospital will honor its employees and its agreements with us,” said Matt Montoya, an RN in the Emergency Department and the hospital’s Union Chapter President. “We’re dedicated to our patients and we work hard to provide quality care. Coincidentally, we’re currently in negotiations with the hospital for our next Union contract. We’re proposing changes to improve patient safety and I hope that the hospital can set aside its adversarial approach to the Nurses here and work with us.”

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Service Employees International Union, Local 121RN represents nearly 9,000 registered nurses and other healthcare professionals at 27 hospitals and facilities in Los Angeles and surrounding counties. This member-led organization is committed to supporting optimum working conditions that allow nurses to provide quality patient care and safety.