Thousands of healthcare workers at five HCA facilities in California have voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike, claiming management is threatening and intimidating employees who complain of short-staffing and low wages.
With 97% voting in favor, an estimated 3,000 emergency room technicians, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, lab techs, dieticians, pharmacy techs and cooks are set to launch a five-day strike beginning May 22 at the following locations:
The workers, whose labor contract expired March 31, are represented by SEIU-UHW. Their next bargaining sessions are scheduled for Monday, May 15 through Wednesday, May 17 with additional dates to be determined after the strike, union officials said.
In a statement issued Friday, Riverside Community Hospital spokesman David Maxfield called the pending walkout “reckless and unnecessary, and not in the interest of patients.”
“This decision by SEIU-UHW leadership is startling and entirely at odds with the progress we have made at the bargaining table, where we reached agreement on many contract issues,” he said. “A strike benefits no one and may prevent our communities from having access to timely medical care.”
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