Hundreds of unionized Keck Medicine of USC nurses walked off the job and onto the picket lines Thursday amid contract talks.

Registered nurses at Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Lincoln Heights began walking the picket line at 7 a.m. outside the Keck facility at 1500 San Pablo St. About 1,800 nurses are set to take part in the strike, which will last for 24 hours, according to the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.

“We are the frontline nurses of Keck Medicine of USC, caring for patients from across Los Angeles and beyond — your friends, your family, your neighbors, your loved ones,” Jeong-A Cha, a Keck USC registered nurse, said in a statement.

“Every day and every night, we give our hearts, our skill, and our strength to heal our c

See Full Page