Los Angeles County Nursing Assistant Win Orderly Hospital Transition

The Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) requires modifications to the scope of practice for nursing staffs nationwide. As a result, Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Nursing Assistants will be relocated to Los Angeles County Hospitals.
This situation could have led to disruptions and MOU violations, however, SEIU 721 members began meeting with management in July to ensure an orderly and fair relocation process. 

“The relocation process is not what many of us wanted, but we’ve worked hard to make sure this transition follows the rules of our union contract and goes as smoothly as possible.”
 – Melvin Orphey, Pharmacy Tech
Both groups have agreed that:

1. Relocation will be based on geographic preference.
2. Hardships and medical restrictions will be taken into consideration when relocating people.
3. NA’s can volunteer to relocate first in order to get their top choice of hospital. People who do not volunteer for a specific hospital will be relocated according to inverse seniority.
4. NA’s who are certified CMA’s and/or enrolled in a CMA course will not be relocated under this plan–but they may be relocated at a later date.
5. Impacted NA’s will receive notice of relocation via hand-delivered letters. These letters will be delivered at least 10 days before the relocation date.

These guidelines ensure that seniority is respected and that nursing assistants have a say in where they work.
If you have questions about this process or how your job will be affected by the Affordable Health Care Act contact the SEIU 721 Member Connection at 1-877-721-4YOU (4968).