Nurses at Providence Cedars-Sinai in Tarzana to strike

Registered nurses and other licensed medical professionals at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center began a five-day strike on Monday.

Union officials say the workers have been engaged in contract negotiations with management since July 2025 over a litany of issues they say negatively impact their work and their patients, including allegedly unsafe staffing and environmental hazards.

Representatives for Providence said the strike will not impact patients.

“We have contracted with an agency to provide highly qualified and experienced nurses and other professionals to ensure uninterrupted services and daily operations,” they said in a statement provided to City News Service.

“We are disappointed SEIU 121RN chose this action rather than continue the important work of reaching an agreement at the bargaining table. We respect our caregivers’ legal right to strike; however, we firmly believe that strikes only delay constructive contract talks, preventing represented caregivers from receiving the compensation increases and other contract enhancements they deserve.

“Over the past seven months, Providence has bargained in good faith with the goal of reaching a competitive agreement that supports caregivers and their families while also being sustainable.”

But Golan Stuchinsky, a physical therapist who has worked at the hospital for nearly 20 years, said management has “approached contract bargaining with a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude.’ They issue demands, and if their demands aren’t met they refuse to discuss the issue further. That is not how a negotiation is supposed to work.”

Officials with Service Employees International Union Local 121RN said picket lines will take place from 7 a.m. to noon each day this week at the hospital, located at 18321 Clark St.

The strike is one of several labor actions affecting Southland hospitals. Thousands of nurses at local Kaiser Permanente facilities have been striking for more than three weeks, while more than 3,000 Kaiser pharmacy and lab employees concluded a three-day strike last week.

On Tuesday, registered nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center plan to begin a three-day strike.