Strike Averted As 400 Healthcare Workers Secure A New Contract
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Approximately 400 frontline healthcare workers at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton have ratified a new contract this week. The agreement includes a 14% wage increase over the next three years, a $23 minimum wage, and fully-paid family healthcare. Caregivers at these two hospitals are the only ones to have fully-paid family healthcare at Adventist-owned hospitals nationwide.
In a time when healthcare workers are leaving the industry for better pay and less stress, this contract at these Adventist hospitals marks a strong commitment to attracting and retaining caregivers in the San Luis Obispo communities that Adventist serves.
“This agreement ensures that we can provide the quality care our patients deserve while demonstrating that Adventist Health values our contributions and recognizes the challenges we face,” said Chris Ferreira, an emergency room tech at Twin Cities Community Hospital. “Addressing understaffing is crucial to delivering exceptional care, and this contract signals a new day for frontline healthcare workers and patient safety alike.”
The new agreement includes annual raises of 6% in the first year, followed by 4% raises in each of the following two years. It also ensures that all workers making less than $23 per hour will receive an increase to meet the new minimum wage.
In July, healthcare workers held pickets outside Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital to protest understaffing, low wages, and rising healthcare costs proposed by the hospitals. Workers were concerned that increased healthcare costs would further exacerbate understaffing, putting patients and staff at risk. In September, caregivers authorized an unfair labor practice strike, but it was averted as they secured a new contract.
Adventist Health purchased Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital from Tenet Healthcare earlier this year. The healthcare workers covered by this contract include certified nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, emergency room workers, lab assistants, and many other frontline staff members.
— SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org