Workers at Daughters of Charity Hospitals Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract
Labor Desk
October 28, 2009
Employees at Seton Medical Center and Seton Coastside approve agreement with higher wages, improved benefits.
Daly City/Moss Beach, CA Hospital workers at five Daughters of Charity Hospitals including Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach voted resoundingly by a 95% margin in favor of a new contract that improves their wages and benefits and maintains high standards for patient care.
The agreement was negotiated by the 34union members who serve on the union bargaining team. Itcovers the nearly 2,500 members of the Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) who work at the five facilities in a variety of positions, including respiratory care practitioners, certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, radiology technicians, lab technicians and environmental services workers.
"We stayed united as SEIU-UHW members and showed management that we are serious about maintaining quality staff and quality care at our hospitals," said Roberto Gallardo, a licensed vocational nurse at the St. Francis Hospital and a member of the bargaining team. "It´s exciting to reach an agreement that is good for everyone who relies upon our care."
The approved contract is effective retroactively to May 2008, when the previous contract expired, and includes:
Up to 18% Pay Raise: immediate 3% or match Kaiser wages, whichever is higher; 3.5% on May 1, 2010; and 4% in 2011 (2% in May and 2% in November).
6% back pay: 18 months retroactive pay 3% on hours worked May 2008 - April 2009, 3% or match Kaiser wages from May 1, 2009 until ratification. First retro check to be paid by Dec. 15, 2009.
No cuts in health care maintains fully employer-paid healthcare options for all current part-time and full-time employees.
The agreement also includes strong labor-management provisions that allow workers and management to work out issues and make sure the hospitals serve both patients and staff.
Workers at the hospitals had gone 20 months without reaching an agreement. Their contract campaign included informational picketing and a series of unity actions at each of the five facilities. The agreement will help DOC hospitals attract and maintain the high quality staff necessary to provide the best patient care.
"It has been a long time coming, but this agreement will ensure that our hospitals continue their reputation as good places to work and good places to receive care," said Tess Guinto, a certified nursing assistant in the surgical acute care unit at Seton. "We stuck together and in the end our voices were heard."
The contract covers workers at Daughters of Charity system facilities in both Northern California O´Connor Hospital in San Jose, Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach and Southern California St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
Daly City/Moss Beach, CA Hospital workers at five Daughters of Charity Hospitals including Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach voted resoundingly by a 95% margin in favor of a new contract that improves their wages and benefits and maintains high standards for patient care.
The agreement was negotiated by the 34union members who serve on the union bargaining team. Itcovers the nearly 2,500 members of the Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) who work at the five facilities in a variety of positions, including respiratory care practitioners, certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, radiology technicians, lab technicians and environmental services workers.
"We stayed united as SEIU-UHW members and showed management that we are serious about maintaining quality staff and quality care at our hospitals," said Roberto Gallardo, a licensed vocational nurse at the St. Francis Hospital and a member of the bargaining team. "It´s exciting to reach an agreement that is good for everyone who relies upon our care."
The approved contract is effective retroactively to May 2008, when the previous contract expired, and includes:
Up to 18% Pay Raise: immediate 3% or match Kaiser wages, whichever is higher; 3.5% on May 1, 2010; and 4% in 2011 (2% in May and 2% in November).
6% back pay: 18 months retroactive pay 3% on hours worked May 2008 - April 2009, 3% or match Kaiser wages from May 1, 2009 until ratification. First retro check to be paid by Dec. 15, 2009.
No cuts in health care maintains fully employer-paid healthcare options for all current part-time and full-time employees.
The agreement also includes strong labor-management provisions that allow workers and management to work out issues and make sure the hospitals serve both patients and staff.
Workers at the hospitals had gone 20 months without reaching an agreement. Their contract campaign included informational picketing and a series of unity actions at each of the five facilities. The agreement will help DOC hospitals attract and maintain the high quality staff necessary to provide the best patient care.
"It has been a long time coming, but this agreement will ensure that our hospitals continue their reputation as good places to work and good places to receive care," said Tess Guinto, a certified nursing assistant in the surgical acute care unit at Seton. "We stuck together and in the end our voices were heard."
The contract covers workers at Daughters of Charity system facilities in both Northern California O´Connor Hospital in San Jose, Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach and Southern California St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
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