SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Caregivers at California Pacific Medical Center are tapping into the power of the Internet to broaden their campaign for quality patient care, inviting Bay Area-residents to the union's new Web site and engaging them with MoveOn.org-style e-activism.
The Web site, www.sutterstrikersforpatientcare.com, administered by Black Rock Associates, provides important facts about the strike that began at CPMC last week in response to unfair labor practices by Sutter Health, the hospital's parent company, as well as the caregivers' campaign to improve patient care at Sutter's facilities.
"This is an activist site," said Sal Rosselli, president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers -- West. "We're providing information, yes, but we're also engaging our community in our struggle, and asking for their help." The union already has reached out to 186,000 residents, nearly one-third of San Francisco's population, through email, inviting them to visit the Web site, sign a petition urging Sutter CPMC to accept a federal mediator's proposed settlement, and adopt a striker.
The new site also features an interactive blog with entries from caregivers on the picket lines at each of CPMC's three Bay Area campuses. Caregivers have asked for a voice in staffing decisions, a training fund and adequate protections for workers who speak out on patients' behalf. They were forced to go on strike after CPMC officials accepted and then rejected the federal mediator's attempt to resolve the impasse.
Supporters can help financially via the "adopt-a-striker" section, which accepts donations for striking workers who are deprived of their pay during the work stoppage. The site also provides caregivers and their allies with an online gathering place for information and advocacy.
"The SEIU caregivers are tapping into revolutionary new information techniques to move their message," said Joe Trippi, the Internet guru who directed Howard Dean's early campaign success in 2004. "In a wired city like San Francisco, that message will reverberate all along the Bay Area, and they'll find plenty of people who will want to stand with them in their fight against a big healthcare corporation."
"This is the first time everyone can hear IN REAL TIME the voice of rank and file strikers walking their picket lines. The beauty of the United Healthcare Workers' approach is that they will bring people to their Web site committed to act on behalf of the workers," said Zack Exley, one of the founders of MoveOn.org. "They are not just there to sign a petition, or adopt a striker, they are there to find out how they can do more, bring more people to help. I think www.sutterstrikersforpatientcare.com could really take off."
SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West, with more than 140,000 members, is the largest healthcare union in the Western United States. We represent every type of healthcare worker, including nursing, professional, technical and service classifications. Our mission is to achieve quality healthcare for all.
CONTACT: Thea Lavin 510-520-7732
SEIU United Healthcare Workers-WestCONTACT: Thea Lavin of SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West,+1-510-520-7732
