Hospital workers at Saint Louise Regional Hospital and four of
its sister hospitals are voting today and Saturday on a new
contract.
Hospital workers at Saint Louise Regional Hospital and four of its sister hospitals are voting today and Saturday on a new contract.
The contract improves wages and benefits and maintains high standards for patient care, according to the Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers, which represents the employees. The agreement was negotiated by the 34 union members who serve on the union bargaining team. It will cover the nearly 2,500 members of the SEIU-UHW who work at the five facilities in a variety of positions, including respiratory care practitioners, certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, radiology technicians, lab technicians and environmental services workers.
The agreement also includes strong labor-management provisions that allow workers and management to work out issues and make sure the hospitals serve both patients and staff, according to the SEIU-UHW.
Workers at the hospitals had gone 20 months without reaching an agreement, according to the SEIU-UHW. Their contract campaign included informational picketing and a series of unity actions at each of the five facilities.
“It has been a long time coming, but this agreement will ensure that our hospitals continue their reputation as good places to work and good places to receive care,” said Tess Guinto, a certified nursing assistant in the surgical acute care unit at Seton Medical Center in Daly City. “We stuck together and in the end our voices were heard.”
The contract covers workers at Daughters of Charity system facilities in both Northern California – including O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach – and Southern California – including St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
