ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) -- Registered nurses and caregivers at Palomar Health signed in and grabbed their picket signs on Thursday morning.
Their protest raised concerns about staffing shortages at the hospital and patient safety.
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) and California Healthcare Employees Union said their contracts expired July 31, 2024, and had an extension through the end of September.
The unions said their main contract demands are "improved staffing levels, to commit to the needs of the community, and to address the dire need to recruit and retain nurses and caregivers."
The unions said that half of their nurses and caregivers left Palomar Health in the past two years.
ABC 10News has followed this story since the pandemic when staffing concerns were at an all-time high.
Then, in August of this year, ABC 10News followed the nurses to a Board of Directors meeting, asking them to address recruitment and retention issues.
The nurses' union also demanded better working conditions.
The nurses said they're working 12-hour shifts and not getting adequate meals and rest breaks.
Michelle Jones, a registered nurse at Palomar Hospital, said, "I like to treat every patient like they're my family. To have them waiting for things like going to the bathroom, because staffing is short, is hard for them. So, we want to make sure that everybody is getting the care they need. We want to make sure they're getting the amount of care you'd want for your mom or dad here in the hospital."
A spokesperson for Palomar Health, in an email to ABC 10News, said they have no comment at this time.
