Cottage Health Nurses Petition for Union Elections at Three Hospitals
Registered nurses at Cottage Health's three hospitals in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Rehabilitation have formally petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for union elections. This action escalates their campaign for improved wages, staffing, and a greater voice in patient…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 28, 2026 —
Registered nurses at Cottage Health’s three hospitals in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Rehabilitation have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for union elections, escalating a campaign focused on wages, staffing and nurses’ role in patient care.
The petition seeks elections, but the information available does not specify when it was filed, how many nurses are involved or which union, if any, is seeking to represent them. It also does not provide an election date or details about the next steps in the process.
Nurses’ stated priorities include improved wages, staffing and a greater voice in patient care. The summary of the campaign does not include specific proposals, examples of staffing levels or details about how nurses say current conditions affect care.
Cottage Health leadership defends its existing compensation and staffing practices. The information provided does not include the organization’s specific arguments, compensation figures, staffing data or a direct statement from leadership.
The petition marks a formal step in the nurses’ effort to hold union elections. However, the available details do not establish whether an election has been approved or scheduled, what the outcome might be, or whether negotiations have taken place. No dates, vote results or further developments were provided.
The number of nurses who signed or support the petition, the identity of any union involved and Cottage Health’s response to the election request were not provided. Those details, along with the filing date and any election schedule, remain unavailable in the information about the campaign.
Story summarized from the original created by Tyler Hayden on www.independent.com, see more information here.