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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 03 , 2023
VISIT CORONANEWSPRESS.COM
VOL. 7,
NO. 148
Nurses at Riverside Community Hospital stage walkout By City News Service
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nionized nurses at Riverside Community Hospital walked off the job Wednesday and through the rest of the week to call attention to working conditions, after six months of negotiations with the facility’s corporate ownership have failed to produce the desired results. According to Service Employees International Union Local 121RN, the strike began at 7 a.m. Wednesday and will continue at intervals to the morning of Monday, Nov. 27. The RCH workers’ stoppage will coincide with analogous ones at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Palms and West Hills Hospital. SEIU Local 121RN represents over 1,000 healthcare workers at RCH, but it was unclear how many would be participating in the labor action, which was expected to generally run from 7 a.m. to noon daily over the five-day period, with curtailed hours on Thanksgiving. “We are disappointed by SEIU 121RN leader-
SEIU Local 121RN nurses picket in August outside Garfield Medical Center in Monterey Park. | Photo courtesy of SEIU 121RN/YouTube
ship’s decision to strike as it is absolutely unnecessary, given the serious efforts we have invested in bargaining since May. It’s evident the labor union has not taken these sessions seriously and has intended to strike all along, despite our genuine attempts at finding common ground,” HCA Healthcare Southern California said in a statement released Wednesday. “Our hospitals have
taken proactive measures to provide high-quality health care for our patients and our communities throughout a strike. We are drawing on the resources of our nationwide HCA Healthcare system to ensure each hospital is fully operational. Our doors will remain open throughout any labor union activities and, importantly, there will be no closure of any services at this time.” The picketing stems
from stalled labor negotiations, which started in May, according to the union. Nurses complain that nurse-to-patient ratios are creating a “system- wide crisis” because units are understaffed, according to an SEIU statement. “We are here to care for our patients with the same dedication and excellence as always,” HCA Healthcare Southern California said in a statement.
The union said that over the last three years, California Department of Public Health officials determined there had been hundreds of staffing violations at each of the medical facilities. “On many hospital units, patient sitters — who carefully monitor patients and intervene to prevent falls and injuries — are replaced by off-site virtual sitters, who watch patients on a video monitor and can only
give verbal instructions, often to patients who are confused or facing emotional crisis,” according to an SEIU statement. “Nurses say that this system is woefully inadequate to help patients who can inadvertently, or intentionally, harm themselves.” Other complaints included deficient security to prevent workplace violence, the prevention of union reps from entering some facilities to communicate with members and “disinformation” circulated by administrators related to the previous work stoppage in 2020. There was no mention regarding salary and benefits hikes, though SEIU 121RN Executive Director Rosanna Mendez pointed out that “working people everywhere are demanding recognition for their sacrifice, and that sentiment is strongly felt by health care workers.” It was unclear how RCH would handle staffing, or whether any shortages are anticipated as a result of the labor action during the holiday period.
2 brush fires scorch 35 acres each near Lake Matthews, in Indio
New Express Lanes connector opens at I-15, 91 interchange
By City News Service
By City News Service
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See Brush fire Page 23
See Express Lanes Page 24
brush fire that erupted Nov. 20 on the north end of Lake Mathews, just south of Riverside, was mapped at 34.5 acres and was 70% contained. The noninjury blaze was first reported at 10:40 a.m. in the area of La Sierra Avenue and El Sobrante Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The agency said multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Corona Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames moving rapidly across dry grass, with northerly winds gusting at more than 20 mph. Sheriff’s deputies shut down La Sierra in both directions for public safety. Three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter made a series of runs on the brusher that blunted the head and prevented it from crossing roads, enabling crews to establish tentative containment lines. At noon, the forward rate of spread was stopped.
otorists using toll lanes on Interstate 15 or the Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona now have direct access to either corridor, thanks to new Express Lanes that opened Tuesday. The 15/91 Express Lanes came available shortly before 5 a.m. after crews put the finishing touches on a striping project and removed old k-rails. The $270 million project was one of the last components of the larger “91 Express Lanes Project” that began a decade ago. “Over the last two years, I have seen the new connector being built by our hard-working crews,” Riverside County Transportation Commissioner and Norco City Councilman Berwin Hanna said in a statement. “Residents along the 15 and the 91 will benefit from having a reliable trip for generations. The 15/91 express connector will help drivers in the northwest get to their businesses and homes promptly while keeping our communities connected.”