Riverside County Workers Go On Strike

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Nurses and other Riverside County workers walked off the job at midnight over stalled contract negotiations.

Members of Service Employees International Union 721 -- including health care, mental health and social workers, correctional officers, and engineers – picketed Wednesday at Riverside University Hospital in Moreno Valley.

The union says talks broke down over safety issues, while the county declined to comment on why contract negotiations stalled.

The county says it has temporary staffing to cover the strike, but will also ask a judge to declare the strike illegal.