May 18, 2023

RIVERSIDE/SAN JOSE, Calif. – The five-day strike planned at five HCA Healthcare hospitals on Monday, May 22 has been averted, as healthcare workers and management reached a contract settlement in the final hours of scheduled negotiations early Thursday morning.

The contract settlement was reached by healthcare workers at five HCA Healthcare locations: Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Regional Medical Center in San Jose, Los Robles Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, West Hills Hospital, and Riverside Community Hospital.

Across California and the nation, healthcare workers have been going on strike at unprecedented levels, citing low wages and chronic understaffing while their employers have amassed record profits. The settlement at the five HCA facilities includes significant investments in the workforce and wage increases that will help retain experienced healthcare workers, including 15% raises over three years, and the agreement protects healthcare and education benefits for workers.

Even before the pandemic, caregivers had raised concerns about the detrimental impacts of short staffing and low wages on working conditions and patient care.

“Healthcare workers are still dealing with trauma and burnout from the pandemic, and we’ve watched too many of our colleagues leave for better-paying jobs with less stress,” said Xochitl Gonzalez, a patient care technician and union leader at Los Robles Medical Center. “Reaching this agreement wasn’t easy but we stood together to advocate for worker and patient safety, improved staffing levels, and fair wages and benefits that reflect the vital work we do everyday.”

The agreement must be approved by more than 3,000 hospital workers at the five facilities before it is final. The ratification vote is scheduled for later this month.

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 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