Daughters of Charity Members Say: "First-Class Care, Not a Second-Class Contract!"
This week, SEIU-UHW members at Daughters of Charity facilities kicked-off a series of statewide actions to tell management that we need a contract with safe staffing and the competitive pay and benefits that help ensure that care.
Caregivers from DOC's St. Francis Medical Center, joined by SEIU-UHW members from across Kaiser, CHW, HCA and other hospitals, came out to support the fight for quality care and a quality contract.
"We want St. Francis and Daughters of Charity to commit to the same level of pay, benefits, and staffing as Kaiser, CHW, and other hospitals around us. We're here to give first-class medical care, but management is treating us and our patients like second-class citizens." --Lynn Morris, cardiology tech, member of the SEIU-UHW bargaining team, St. Francis Medical Center, 21 years
Join Daughters of Charity members at their next picket:
Saint Louise Regional Hospital
Thursday, July 23
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Gilroy CA 95020
Or join them next week at a picket event near you: http://www.seiu-uhw.org/2009/07/come-out-and-support-daughters-of-charity-workers.html
Hospital Workers at Stanford: Worth More than 1%
The workers at Stanford and sister facility Lucille Packard Children's Hospital are relaunching efforts to bargain a contract after working without one for 8 months, and recently met to discuss management's most recent substandard offer of a 1% per-year wage increase. Despite the current economy, Stanford Hospital is currently planning a $3 billion hospital expansion while ignoring its responsibility to bargain a fair contract with its workers. "Members at Stanford always give 100% - which has helped Stanford Hospital build a reputation for providing the highest quality of care," said Lourdes Arafiles, Unit Secretary at LPCH. "One percent does not reflect the valuable contribution to patient care that we make to help Stanford Hospital thrive."
Kaiser Moreno Valley Workers Win Big
The bargaining team at Moreno Valley won a landmark agreement with Kaiser Permanente that will significantly raise wages for SEIU-UHW and SEIU 121RN workers, provide workers with 3 raises over the next year, and create a clear pathway for future raises. "We worked hard with our union to get the same wages as other Kaiser workers, and we won. For many of us, the wage increases will be life changing," said Greg Johnson a lab tech at Moreno Valley and member of the bargaining team. For example, by April of next year Central Processing Aides will move from a low of $9.36 to a minimum of $15.94. The ratification vote is scheduled Friday, July 24.
CHW: Labor Board Rules Against NUHW Again (and Again, and Again...)
SEIU-UHW members are bargaining serious improvements to our pensions and collateral pay (shift differentials, on-call pay). But the former officers of our local who were removed for misusing our dues money formed a rival organization called NUHW for the sole purpose of destroying all that we have built.
a quality contract.
More than once, NUHW has tried filing for a decertification election at our CHW facilities, and lost. Once again, the Federal government's National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is saying "NO" to NUHW's attempts to divide and distract us.
a quality contract.
Budget Is an Avoidable Tragedy
The California State Council of the Service Employees International Union released the following statement from State Council President Kristy Sermersheim.
"This budget is no cause for celebration. In fact, it's a tragedy that could have been avoided.
"By cutting vital cash assistance to needy families, this budget will be responsible for making thousands of families homeless and leaving many more children hungry. Approximately 80,000 seniors and people with disabilities will be put at risk of leaving their homes for institutions. Nearly half a million children will lose healthcare. The deal will eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, making our terrible economy even worse. Local communities, which have relied on a responsible and balanced approach to their budget challenges, will now be hit with deep cuts to basic public safety and other services. And millions of school children will have an education inferior to what they could have.
From the International
Schumer Moves Ball Forward on Immigration Reform
On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, held a hearing to review the strengths and limitations of the current employment verification system. A smart, effective and fair employment verification system that goes after abusive employers and protects workers from harassment is a critical component of SEIU's principles for comprehensive immigration reform.
