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Both parties are eager to get this round of negotiations underway andcontinue their joint efforts to improve patient care and expand access toquality hospital services across the state. In 2004, Catholic Healthcare West(CHW) and SEIU locals United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW) and 121 RN, a unionof registered nurses, negotiated a master agreement that covers 31 facilitiesstatewide. Now, that contract is expiring and both sides look forward toaddressing key areas including staffing and quality issues, training andeducation opportunities for caregivers, improving employee health, andcompetitive wages and benefits to better recruit and retain qualifiedcaregivers.
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"We have made huge strides over the past several years by workingcollaboratively with our employees to address key workplace issues and developsolutions together to make sure we are able to deliver the best carepossible," said Jill Dryer, director of marketing and communications for CHW."We are looking forward to building from our existing relationship to makeimprovements in this next round of negotiations."
Hospital workers at all 31 SEIU-represented facilities recently electedmembers to the union's negotiating team, and more bargaining dates have beenset for March. The current contract expires April 30. CHW is also currently innegotiations with 2,000 SEIU members in Nevada.
"During the past several years, we have worked with CHW to develop aproductive and positive relationship that has included working together onimproving conditions in our hospitals as well as on policy and legislativeissues and the development of a jointly managed fund to provide training tothousands of healthcare workers," said Martha Vazquez, radiology technicianand UHW member. "We look forward to establishing new standards in this nextround of negotiations."
"We are excited to begin negotiations with CHW and continue to raisestandards for nurses and patients across California," said Chris Slane,registered nurse and 121 RN member. "We look forward to working with CHW to bea model employer for hospital systems across the state."
Hospitals covered by the bargaining include: Sequoia Hospital in RedwoodCity; Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and St. Mary's Medical Center in SanFrancisco; Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield andMercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield; St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospitalin Camarillo; St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard; French HospitalMedical Center in San Luis Obispo; Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria; MercyMedical Center Mt. Shasta; St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff;Mercy Medical Center Redding; Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael;Mercy Hospital of Folsom; Mercy General Hospital and Methodist Hospital ofSacramento in Sacramento; Woodland Healthcare; Mark Twain St. Joseph'sHospital in San Andreas; St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center and St.Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton; Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz; St.Mary Medical Center in Long Beach; California Hospital Medical Center in LosAngeles; Northridge Hospital Medical Center; Community Hospital of SanBernardino and St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino.
San Francisco-based CHW is a system of 42 hospitals and medical centers inCalifornia, Arizona and Nevada. Founded in 1986, CHW is the eighth-largesthospital system in the nation. It's committed to delivering compassionate,high-quality, affordable health care services.
The 150,000-member SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West is the largesthospital and healthcare union in the western U.S. and represents every type ofhealthcare worker, including nurses, professional, technical a
