Reno nurses plan informational picket at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center

Registered nurses at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev., are planning an informational picket on Thursday, June 11, as they press hospital management to negotiate a fair contract and reinstate two nurses the union says were unlawfully terminated.

The action was announced by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United. In the release, nurses said they are protesting what they describe as anti-union tactics by the hospital administration and Prime Healthcare, along with what they say is a refusal to bargain fairly. The nurses are also demanding contract terms they say would protect patients and support nursing staff.

According to the union, Prime Healthcare terminated two registered nurses who were also active union leaders for lawful union advocacy. Nurses are calling on Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center and Prime Healthcare to bring the nurses back immediately. The release says the hospital and the company should also agree to contract measures that help with patient care and staffing.

Negotiations for a new contract have been underway since July 2025, but the union said progress has stalled because Prime has not been willing to bargain fairly on key issues. The release does not provide further details about the disputed contract terms.

Rubell Peterson, an RN in the telemetry unit, said the firing of the nurse leaders was retaliation for efforts to win a fair contract. Peterson said the nurses are pushing for a contract that supports patient safety and nurse retention, and described the firings as a scare tactic meant to pressure nurses into accepting an offer that does not adequately support them. Peterson also said nurses are part of the reason Saint Mary’s has received multiple awards for patient safety, but that they will not remain if they experience retaliation and disrespect.

Laura Parkhouse, another telemetry unit RN, said nurses at Saint Mary’s face many challenges while caring for community members during vulnerable moments. Parkhouse said those challenges make it important for nurses to rely on one another when difficulties arise, and said Prime should respect their right to stand together to protect patients and one another without fear of retaliation.

The informational picket is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, at the corner of N. Arlington Ave. and 6th St. Nurses notified their employer on June 1 that they planned the picket.

NNOC said it represents 350 nurses at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. The group also noted that the nurses held a one-day strike on Feb. 18 to urge management to invest in nursing staff and reach an agreement that includes safe staffing and commitments to practices that recruit and retain nurses amid high turnover.

The release also said Prime operates more than 50 hospitals across 15 states and employs 60,000 health care workers. It added that nurses at Prime-owned Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, who have recently filed to join NNOC, will hold a one-day strike on June 11 over the administration’s illegal firings of six nurses in retaliation for union activity.

National Nurses United described itself as the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with more than 225,000 members nationwide. Its affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association and New York State Nurses Association.