Registered nurses at Barton Memorial Hospital are holding a one-day strike on Friday. The California Nurses Association claims management refuses take the necessary steps to retain experienced nurses and schedule the staffing necessary to provide care for patients.

President of CNA Zenei Cortez says negotiations stalled when Barton management proposed what's called an "open shop."

"Meaning that union membership would be voluntary," Cortez says. "Which is not what the nurses here want."

Registered nurses at Barton voted to unionize in November 2017.

In a written statement to 2 News, Barton management says, "Barton wants all nurses to have a choice and does not want to terminate anyone for their choice."

But Cortez says the nurses who voted to unionize want every nurse a part of it.

"It's the fairest thing to do," Cortez says. "Everything is black and white, everything is there, everything is practiced in a consistent manner."

Other disputes involve transparency about medical debt accumulated by nurses and staffing shortages.

Nurses say they need that information to make informed decisions in contract negotiations. Barton says they revealed all necessary information, including the number of nurses who had not paid their medical expenses and the total amount owed, on January 7, 2019.

As far as staffing goes, nurses say they often can't take breaks because they don't have enough nurses. Kelli Teteak, RN, who works in the intensive care unit at Barton Memorial Hospital, says it's so important for nurses to have appropriate time to eat and rest during shifts, so they can help patients to the best of their abilities. Zenei agrees, saying even one break nurse on duty would provide flexibility for nurses, so they can better serve patients.

Barton explained in a written statement, their staffing meets or exceeds all California state law requirements.

Barton also says in the written statement the two sides have yet to discuss wages and benefits.

With so many aspects of the contract still to figure out, and now with voluntary union membership on the table, nurses felt striking was the only option.

"We don't want to be out here doing this," Teteak says. "But maybe this is what really needs to happen for them to take us seriously and hear our voice."

"Because they want to make a statement to Barton Management that enough is enough," Cortez says. "They need to be given what they need in order to safely take care of patients."

“Nurses are committed to providing compassionate and skilled care to their patients, but nurses who are overworked and exhausted mentally and physically cannot provide the best care to their patients,” said Beth Dameral, RN.

Both Cortez and Teteak say the strike itself was a success based on the participation from nurses, but time will tell if it becomes an effective tactic.

"It is the strongest tool that we have and really the only tool," Teteak says. "So we're hoping that they take us seriously, and we'll see what happens when we go back to the table in June."

CNA says it has filed unfair labor practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing hospital management of not bargaining in good faith. 

In response, Barton Health sent us this statement: 

"We are disappointed that the California nurses’ union has served Barton Health with a notice of their intent to strike on May 24, 2019. We are in active negotiations with the union and have been meeting regularly since March of 2018. 

"Since the last strike was withdrawn by CNA, we have met six times with the union, including four sessions with a federal mediator. Proposals were passed by both sides. Previously, we achieved 26 tentative agreements. We have yet to discuss wages and benefits and are eager to discuss an economic package for our nurses. Unfortunately this is delayed when the union asks our nurses to go on strike."

Barton Health hired replacement nurses for five days, which they say is the standard for replacement nurses.

"Nurses who choose to strike on May 24, 2019 will return to work in accordance with their regular schedule after the replacement period is over on May 29, 2019."