PASADENA>> The California Nurses Association filed three charges against Huntington Memorial Hospital on behalf of two nurses that were terminated, a move CNA officials say is retaliatory against the nurses for advocating to form a union at the hospital.

The charges, filed last week with the National Labor Relations Board, include allegations of retaliation and “unfair” termination, CNA spokeswoman Jennifer Suh said.

Suh, along with about two dozen other nurses, protested outside of Huntington Hospital Monday before delivering a petition to reinstate the nurses to President and CEO Stephen Ralph. The petition contained 200 signatures.

•VIDEO: Rally to reinstate nurses

The nurses, Allysha Almada and Vicki Lin, say they were fired on Thursday after having been placed on suspension, reinstated, and then suspended again.

“What happened to me is plain and simple retaliation,” Almada said Monday. “Ever since I stepped out and actually started speaking here, there has been a target on my back and I have been bullied.”

Almada said Huntington has created a “culture of fear and silence,” which she said prevents nurses from standing up and speaking out against alleged injustices within the hospital.

Lin said she was “blindsided” when Human Resources began investigating her a few weeks ago.

“I’ve never witnessed an organization or corporation that is supposed to be reputable, act so inappropriate and unprofessional in terms of how they handled my suspension,” she said.

Gloria Sanchez-Rico, vice president and chief nurse executive, confirmed Monday that Almada and Lin were no longer employed with the hospital, but could not address the issue any further.

“Legally, we are unable to comment on the specifics of any personnel issue, however our guiding principles in decision making are based on ensuring patient safety — and providing quality patient care as a trusted community resource,” Sanchez-Rico said in a statement.

Fellow nurse Maria Aguirre, who signed the petition, said Almada and Lin’s termination was not a coincidence, but a “pattern of intimidation.”

In April, CNA called on NLRB officials to set aside an election to form a union, citing more than 40 violations of federal workplace protections that made a “free and fair election impossible.”

The association claims the hospital harassed, coerced and intimidated the nurses ahead of the April 15-16 vote, while the hospital said the union was motivated by money, as the nurses would have represented about $2 million in annual dues for the union if it had prevailed.

In an unofficial tally, there were 539 votes against union representation and 445 in favor, with 175 “challenged” ballots pending resolution.

The election is still blocked and results will not be finalized until all other charges against Huntington Memorial Hospital are cleared.