Registered nurses at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank are set to launch a five-day strike Monday, with picket lines scheduled outside the hospital every morning through Friday. RNs are expected on the sidewalks from 7 a.m. to noon daily, and a rally is planned for 9 a.m. on the first day. Union leaders describe the walkout as a last-resort move over contract proposals they say would raise nurses' health care costs, cut retirement and incentive benefits, and weaken attendance protections.
SEIU Local 121RN, which represents the nurses at the Burbank campus, says the bargaining unit covers more than 1,000 RNs and that talks with Providence have been underway since September 2025, according to Becker's Hospital Review. The union says Providence has proposed increasing employees' health care costs, ending a discretionary retirement contribution, and eliminating a health-incentive program, changes the union argues would make it harder to retain staff and protect patient care. SEIU has already held informational pickets and circulated media advisories outlining its concerns, including that nurses are routinely floated into unfamiliar units and sometimes work 12-hour shifts without proper breaks, according to SEIU Local 121RN.
Hospital Pushes Back, Says Care Will Stay On Track
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center says it has bargained in good faith for six months and remains committed to a "competitive, sustainable agreement" while keeping the hospital running smoothly during any walkout, according to MyNewsLA. The system says it respects caregivers' legal right to strike and has contracted with replacement nurses to maintain patient services during the action.
On the picketing nurses' side, Cardiac Telemetry nurse Kevin Grellman was quoted describing how staffing plays out on the ground: "Break nurses are constantly pulled into full assignments, leaving patients without coverage and nurses working 12-hour shifts without breaks," he said, explaining the grievances driving the strike.
Part Of A Wider Wave Of Hospital Labor Fights
The planned Burbank strike comes amid a broader wave of hospital bargaining battles across Southern California. RNs at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana held a five-day strike in mid-February, ABC7 reported. Earlier this year, tens of thousands of Kaiser nurses went on an extended walkout that affected facilities across California and Hawaii, as The Associated Press has reported.
Union leaders say the Burbank picket schedule will run from 7 a.m. to noon each day of the strike, and that negotiators plan to return to the bargaining table while the walkout is underway.
