Cottage Health Nurses Seek Union Vote With SEIU 121RN
Registered nurses at Cottage Health facilities in Santa Barbara and Goleta have announced their intention to unionize with SEIU 121RN and are working toward holding a union vote by the end of the year. They cite the cost of living,…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 23, 2026 —
Registered nurses at Cottage Health facilities in Santa Barbara and Goleta have announced plans to organize with SEIU 121RN and are working toward holding a union vote by the end of the year.
The nurses cite the high cost of living, executive compensation, wage transparency and changes to leave policies as concerns behind their organizing effort. They report collecting enough union cards to meet the threshold required by the National Labor Relations Board to call for a vote.
The announcement describes an effort to seek a vote; it does not say that a vote has been scheduled or held. The specific date the nurses intend to hold the vote, the number of nurses involved and the number of cards collected were not provided.
The information provided also does not specify which leave policies changed, how compensation or wages are structured, or what particular wage-transparency concerns the nurses raised. No statements from Cottage Health or SEIU 121RN were included.
The nurses are working toward a vote by year’s end, but the summary does not provide further details about the process or its timing. It also does not report an outcome or describe what may happen after a vote. The stated reasons for organizing reflect the concerns identified by the nurses; no additional explanation or response from the health system was provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Evelyn Spence, South County Editor on www.noozhawk.com, see more information here.
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