A group of nurses and their supporters took part in lunchtime protest outside Mercy Hospital in downtown Bakersfield to call attention to short staffing and what they say are unsafe working conditions.

The RNs claim owner Dignity Health has refused to meet with them for over a year, and say the cuts have impacted people waiting for emergency services. The group hopes the two-hour work stoppage Tuesday gets Dignity to the bargaining table to talk break times, shift hours, and terminations.

Kelli Forsch