Nearly three years ago Nurses at Garfield Medical Center stood up and said “enough is enough.” Many of you joined the picket line during the ten-day strike—at the height of 2023’s Hot Labor Summer—because you understood that Nurses, standing together, have the power to make change. The contract you won after the strike delivered on that promise, and served as a strong foundation for the future.

Now, it’s time to make your contract even stronger. Yesterday, your colleagues on the bargaining team met with AHMC to begin negotiations for your new union contract. The first session focused on settling a number of technical details, paving the way to take on the things that matter most to Nurses. And there are many problems left to tackle.

In the coming months, your bargaining team will take on issues like:

• Floating
• Economics (wages and benefits)
• Patient Safety
• Hospital Security
• Broken Equipment
• Missed Meals and Breaks
• and more…

We’ll confront management about cutting corners, exemplified by their infamous BYOB (bring your own blanket) policy. We’ll hold them accountable for their responsibility to ensure that Nurses and your patients are safe, respected, and valued.

For now, your bargaining team needs your input on one important issue. Please take our new survey on the issue of missed meals and breaks so we can get a better understanding of how frequently Garfield Nurses miss their breaks and what is done about it.

Soon, we’ll reach out with information about joining the Contract Action Team, and other ways that you can help the bargaining team to win an even stronger contract for Nurses at GMC.

If you have questions contact me via email, or call me at (626) 379-7275.

In Unity,