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"Today, healthcare workers took action across the state to fight for ourpatients' right to quality and reliable medical care," said Tom Hernandez aMonitor Tech at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. "Over the past fewyears, my hospital has experienced a dramatic increase in the number ofemergency room patients. The last thing we need is the removal of provenpatient care safeguards."
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More than 2,400 caregivers - represented by SEIU United HealthcareWorkers-West (UHW) - have been in negotiations with the health system sinceMarch. They are proposing improvements to help ensure quality patient careand increase the ability to recruit and retain healthcare professionals.However, administrators are threatening to eliminate key existing contractprovisions which allow front-line caregivers a real voice in the delivery ofpatient care and treatment.
"The foremost responsibility of my job is to provide the best possibletreatment to my patients," said Suad Husary a Respiratory Care Practitioner atSeton Medical Center in Daly City. "All we're asking is that Daughters ofCharity agree to our common-sense contract improvements that will tremendouslybenefit patients, employees, and the community."
The negotiations are part of UHW's historic 2008 campaign that aligned theexpiration of more than 100 contracts that cover over 100,000 Californiahospital, nursing home, and homecare workers. Employees of DOCHS believecoordinating bargaining efforts with thousands of other caregivers throughoutthe healthcare industry provides additional strength in their effort toimprove patient care standards at the hospital chain.
With more than 150,000 members, SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West is thefastest-growing healthcare union in the United States. We represent healthcareworkers in all job classifications and all healthcare settings, includinghospitals, homecare, nursing homes and clinics. Our mission is to achievehigh-quality healthcare for all.
CONTACT: Blinker Wood
CELL PHONE: (323) 434-5733
EMAIL: [email protected]
SOURCE SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West
