Garfield Medical Center · Monterey Park
Garfield Nurses Hit the Picket Line: “It’s Not Safe to Work 12 Hours Without a Break”
June 10, 2026
On Wednesday, June 10, nurses at Garfield Medical Center held an informational picket outside the Monterey Park hospital to demand safe staffing, dedicated break relief, an end to unsafe floating, and a contract that respects the nurses who keep the hospital running. After months of stalled negotiations, nurses took their fight public, drawing support from local elected officials and the surrounding community.
12 Hours. Zero Breaks. Not Safe.
At the center of the fight is a staffing system that leaves nurses without real breaks sometimes during 12-hour shifts. With no break relief, a single charge nurse is expected to cover breaks for an entire floor while also running the unit and caring for their own patients.
“It’s not safe to work 12 hours without a break. When you’re in constant rush mode, your mind never gets to reset. That’s when mistakes happen. People burn out, people get distracted, and that’s dangerous for our patients.”
Andrew Nicoll, RN — Telemetry, Bargaining Team
A Promise Made. A Promise Broken.
This is not a new problem. In 2023, Garfield nurses went on an unfair labor practice strike, and break relief was one of the central issues. Nurses won contract language they believed would finally deliver dedicated break relief nurses. It was in the works. And then hospital leadership shut it down, insisting the charge nurse handles breaks.
Three years later, nurses are back outside the hospital fighting the same fight.
“We need someone to relieve us for breaks. The charge nurse is the one breaking us right now, and mathematically it’s just not possible to relieve every nurse for a meal break and three 10-minute breaks. Nurses are choosing to skip their breaks so their work gets done, and because they don’t trust anyone is really watching their patients while they’re gone.”
Maria, Diaz RN — NICU, Bargaining Team
Unsafe floating puts patients at risk
Nurses also raised concerns about being regularly floated to units outside their expertise without the training those patients require.
“Garfield wants floating to be more frequent so they can save money. They try to minimize it on paper, but they push for more of it.”
Rosanna Kou, RN — Labor & Delivery, Bargaining Team
What Garfield Nurses Are Fighting For
Dedicated Break Relief So nurses can take legally required breaks without fear that their patients are going uncovered. | Safe Staffing With adequate support staff so nurses aren’t forced to absorb duties that should be covered by a full team. |
End Unsafe Floating Stop reassigning nurses into units like the ICU without the specialized training critically ill patients require. | Working Infrastructure Functioning air conditioning, computers, and medication dispensers. The basics for safe patient care. |
Fair Wages & Respect Compensation that reflects the work nurses do every day to keep this hospital running. | End the Culture of Fear A workplace where nurses can speak up for themselves and their patients without retaliation. |
Community Leaders Stand with Garfield Nurses
Elected Officials at the Picket
Monterey Park City Councilmembers Henry Lo, Thomas Wong, and Jose Sanchez joined nurses on the line, along with a representative from the office of state Assemblymember Mike Fong. SEIU 121RN Secretary-Treasurer Guillermo Mendoza-Lujan, RN closed out the program.
Monterey Park City Councilmember Henry Lo
Monterey Park City Councilmember Thomas Wong
Monterey Park City Councilmember Jose Sanchez
SEIU 121RN Secretary-Treasurer Guillermo Mendoza-Lujan, RN
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