Caregivers to strike Prime Healthcare’s West Anaheim Medical Center starting 5 a.m. Monday, May 26
The five-day strike will run through Friday, May 30, at the hospital, where-below market salaries have led to massive worker turnover and surging state citations and patient complaints
ANAHEIM, Calif. — After nine months of fruitless contract negotiations, caregivers at West Anaheim Medical Center will begin a 5-day strike at 5 a.m. Monday, May 26 through 8 p.m. Friday, June 30.
The 163 striking workers include respiratory therapists, licenced vocational nurses, surgery technicians and imaging technologists who have been without a contract since last October. They are paid significantly less than workers at other Prime Healthcare hospitals as well as other major hospitals in the region. Keck-USC’s flagship hospitals, whose caregivers are also represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, pay starting salaries that are on average 30 percent higher than what West Anaheim is offering for the same jobs.
“Our salaries have fallen far below the market rate, and so have our staffing levels and the level of care that our patients receive,” said Angel Francia, a cardiac/vascular interventional technologist, who works at the cardiac catheterization lab. “Prime Healthcare makes millions of dollars operating West Anaheim Medical Center, and it should be investing those profits into its workforce and the care we provide.”
WHO/WHAT: Healthcare workers, including licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists and surgical techs wearing red, chanting and walking picket lines. Rallies with elected and community leaders will be held at noon each day.
WHEN: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, May 26
6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 27 through Friday, May 30
WHERE: In front of West Anaheim Medical Center, 3303 W. Orange Ave., Anaheim
Prime Healthcare has reported a $56 million net profit operating the 167-bed hospital between 2021 and 2023, the last three years for which data is available. West Anaheim is one of several hospitals in Orange County licensed to receive patients having a heart attack. However, despite offering a higher level of care than many neighboring hospitals, it pays its caregivers below market wages – a situation that has contributed to severe staffing shortages and soaring citations against the hospital.
In 2023, the last year for which data is available, West Anaheim lost 41 percent of its licensed vocational nurses and medical technicians — more than double the industry standard turnover rate of 18 percent for hospitals.
High turnover has resulted in lower staffing levels, compromising patient care. In 2023 and 2024, West Anaheim was hit with 190 patient complaints — more than double the statewide average of 81 over that time period. Meanwhile, state regulators cited West Anaheim for 52 deficiencies over the past two years — more than double the statewide average of 21.
“There’s a staffing crisis at West Anaheim because workers keep leaving,” said Ian Bowie, a radiologic technologist at the hospital “We’re fighting for a contract that pays us fairly, so we have the staffing we need to provide the care our patients deserve.”
Prime Healthcare is offering workers at West Anaheim a three-year contract with 3 percent annual raises, but that would result in salaries at West Anaheim falling further below nearby hospitals. Workers are seeking a contract that would boost salaries by 17 percent over 4 years.
The strike is an Unfair Labor Practice Strike, based on an unfair labor practice charge filed by NUHW.
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The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a member-led movement that represents 19,000 healthcare workers in California and Hawai’i.
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