Caregivers say management refuses to listen to concerns about working conditions at San Diego’s only pediatric trauma center
Caregivers say management refuses to listen to concerns about working conditions at San Diego’s only pediatric trauma center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 24, 2026
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Hundreds of frontline healthcare workers will protest outside Rady Children’s Hospital on Friday, June 26, calling on newly appointed President and CEO Kimberly Chavalas Cripe to withdraw frivolous legal objections that are delaying necessary improvements to working conditions aimed at fixing chronic understaffing, high turnover, and patient care concerns for young children.
More than 1,500 Rady workers voted earlier this year to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW). Caregivers say hospital executives have continued efforts to delay union recognition rather than address the staffing challenges they face every day, making it harder to provide the quality care children and families deserve.
Rady workers will be joined by healthcare workers from across California, including caregivers from Sharp HealthCare, who have also organized with SEIU-UHW in recent years.
Workers hope the hospital’s new CEO will take a more collaborative approach than her predecessor by working with frontline caregivers to improve care, instead of denying workers’ union rights. This comes as healthcare workers across California push for greater accountability in healthcare spending.
Their concerns follow a 2024 investigation that found Rady Children’s Hospital reported nearly $1 billion in profits, while CEO compensation increased by 27% between 2021 and 2022.
Since 2023, approximately 8,500 San Diego-area healthcare workers have voted to join SEIU-UHW, including 6,000 at Sharp HealthCare, 550 at Planned Parenthood, more than 400 dialysis workers, and 1,500 workers at Rady Children’s Hospital.
WHAT: Healthcare workers will hold signs, march, and chant in protest of unsafe working conditions at Rady Children’s Hospital.
WHEN: Friday, June 26, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: Rady Children’s Hospital
3020 Children’s Way, San Diego, CA 92123
CONTACT: mediarelations@seiu-uhw.org
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SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 120,000 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.