Members of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West began a five-day strike Oct. 23 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., a union representative confirmed to Becker's.
The union represents about 700 workers at the facility, including lab technicians, phlebotomists, emergency medical technicians, patient transporters, environmental services workers and other professions, according to an SEIU-UHW news release. Providence St. Joseph is part of Renton, Wash.-based Providence.
Union members' labor contract expired in August. The union and hospital held their last bargaining session Oct. 13, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. A hospital statement shared with Becker's says that during negotiations, the hospital bargaining team "proposed what we believe is a very generous package with significant wage increases and contract enhancements that include a 24% increase in wages over a three-year contract and generous market wage adjustments for many jobs."
The union contends it has spent months trying to address what it says is understaffing, worker turnover and patient care concerns at the bargaining table. The union has also accused hospital management of bargaining in bad faith.
"We are struggling to give the quality care our patients deserve as we watch staff leave and positions go unfilled. We fight not just for ourselves but for our patients that depend on us," Christian Ayon, a lead surgical technician at Providence St. Joseph, said in the union release.
The hospital has has pushed back against the union's accusations, noting the hospital's high national ranking for overall quality; its committment to respectful discourse with workers; and its recruitment efforts.