Security Officers at Dignity Health face extreme threats to their lives and livelihoods every day because of unequal treatment and lack of regard for their safety. The problems include:
- Workplace Violence: Security Officers are the primary protectors of patients and workers across Dignity facilities — and they encounter intense and even violent confrontations with patients and the public. Yet management has a callous disregard for the safety of these officers and refuses to provide adequate staffing or to take incidents of violence seriously.
- COVID-19 Exposure and Infection: Threats to the health and lives of Security Officers are heightened during the pandemic as these workers come face-to-face with COVID-19 every day while controlling access to facilities and interacting with staff and the public. Security Officers face extreme exposure to COVID-19 infection due to:
- Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Refusal by Dignity management to report COVID-19 infections and risks to Security Officers
- Unsafe workloads due to low staffing levels
- Lack of safety protocols
- Unequal Wages, Benefits, and Job Security: Compared to their union coworkers, Dignity Security Officers face major threats to their livelihoods, including far higher healthcare coverage costs, disregard for experience and seniority in wages and raises, and lack of job security.
- Racial Inequality: Management’s unequal treatment of Dignity Security Officers — the vast majority of whom are people of color — indicates systemic racial inequality. Security Officers have reported specific incidents of racism by management.
- Gender Inequality: Female Security Officers face high levels of discrimination and disrespect, and female officers have reported specific incidents of sexism by management.
Security Officers at Dignity Health should have what 17,000 Dignity workers already in SEIU-UHW have won:
- Stronger protections against COVID-19, including necessary personal protective equipment, safe staffing levels, and rigorous safety protocols
- Equitable treatment from Dignity management — including racial and gender equality
- Fully-paid family healthcare coverage
- Wages and raises that recognize experience and seniority
- Stong job security protections
