For Immediate Release- Dec. 4, 2025

 For More information:
Becky Street, RN Negotiating Team member, 734-718-6675
Heleen Welvaart, RN Negotiating Team member, 760-258-7020
Jane McDonald, Union Representative,760-208-9938.

 

Nurses and Patient Care Technical employees Vote to Authorize ULP Strikes at Northern Inyo Healthcare District

Union employees at Northern Inyo have given notice of their intention to conduct Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strikes beginning on Monday, December 15, 2025.  Employees from both the RN and Patient Care Technical Units voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize the Strikes.  Both units are represented by Local 315 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

A ULP Strike is a specific action that employees can take based on their employer’s bad faith at the bargaining table. The Union has filed charges with PERB, the state Public Employment Review Board, over the District’s failure to bargain in good faith over the application of minimum staffing ratios.

The Union has issued a 10-day notice of our intention to strike the RN Unit from December 15-18, and the Patient Care Technical Unit on December 15, if the District does not successfully resolve the disputes. The ten-day notice gives the District time to change their position and, lacking resolution, make preparations to keep emergency services available.

While taking a strong stand against the District’s behavior in bargaining, the Union is committed to ensure a team is in place to keep emergency services available.  The Union’s disputes are not with the public, but with Administration’s failure to treat its front-line employees with fairness and respect.

The parties have been bargaining since late May and will participate in State Mediation on Dec. 9.

Keeping Recruitment and Retention Primary

“We want to work here. We want to stay here. We want this hospital to succeed —because our patients and community deserve that. But to make that happen, we need a fair contract that recognizes our work and protects this hospital’s future.”                                                                  —Tim McMullen, RN, Med Surg, Local 315 RN Negotiating Team

Beyond the staffing dispute, employees are concerned with maintaining a market-based wage strategy with cost of living and fair standby pay, and the forced use of PTO during department-specific holiday closures.

Last spring, the Union set out to achieve modest proposals that would support continued retention and recruitment.  Modest proposals were possible because during the prior negotiations, under Stephen Del Rossi’s leadership, the District worked closely with the Union to prioritize recruitment and retention of permanent staff over more expensive travelers.  During Fiscal Year 2022 alone, the District reported paying $8.8 million in travelers’ fees. After implementing the last union contract, the District was able to recruit permanent staff to replace the travelers.  However, the Union is concerned that if cost of living is not prioritized as part of the District’s ongoing strategy, the District will again be unable to recruit and retain staff.

“Staying away from travelers depends on maintaining our wage as the cost of living moves- otherwise we will lose valuable skilled employees that are invested in our community.”  -Sami Bumgarner, HIM Specialist, Local 315 Vice President, Patient Care Technical Unit Negotiating Team

 

“When we lose a perinatal nurse…we lose years of specialized training, deep clinical judgment, and the calm that comes from experience in high-stakes situations like obstetric emergencies.”     -Patty Hensley, RN, OB 

We Cannot Afford C-Suite

Being told there is no money for cost of living didn’t sit well with employees from the beginning, even when they were informed that “no one” would be getting a raise.  In addition to concerns about recruitment and retention, many lower paid employees at the District struggle to make ends meet, working multiple jobs to sustain their families.

However, the District’s failure to propose a COLA became outrageous once patient care employees understood the District would be paying a new CEO $460,000.  According to Transparent California, this is 8.3% more than Del Rossi earned in 2024, and nearly double what the current CEO was earning at his last reported position in San Diego (where the average home cost is $991,176, not $566,082). Employees are also alarmed by other C-Suite salaries, which appear to have skyrocketed over the past few years. For example, Transparent California shows the Chief Nurse Executive/COO’s base pay at $373,012 in 2024, and the Chief Human Resources Officer/ Business Development Officer at $289,000.

Although “improved morale” continues to be a stated objective of the District Board, it is unclear whether the Board understands how their policies are impacting such morale.

Prior to authorizing the ULP Strikes, union members attended two NIHD Board meetings, urging the Board to rethink their bargaining position, and engaged in informational picketing on November 6.  While the Union hopes to resolve its disputes in mediation, we appreciate our community’s patience and solidarity if we are forced to move forward with the ULP Strikes.

###