CASTRO VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- What: Unfair Labor Practices Strike Where: Eden Medical Center 20103 Lake Chabot Rd., Castro Valley, CA When: Monday, February 27th 5 p.m. Strike preparation at UHW office in Oakland (560 Thomas L. Berkeley Way, Oakland, CA) Tuesday, February 28th 5 a.m. Sal Rosselli and UHW caregivers available for interviews on picket line 6 a.m. Picketing begins at Eden Medical Center 11 a.m. Rally at the picket line with state legislative leaders
Tomorrow, 300 hospital workers represented by SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW) will begin an unfair labor practices strike at Eden Medical Center. Eden Medical Center has engaged in unfair labor practices, such as bad faith bargaining, throughout contract negotiations. UHW members at Eden, who work as Licensed Vocational Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, Operating Room Technicians, Clerical Staff, and other hospital classifications, are fighting for the same patient care standards recently negotiated at five other Sutter-owned hospitals in the Bay Area.
The key standards sought by UHW caregivers at Eden Medical Center include a real voice for caregivers in staffing levels, an employee education fund, and the right for other hospital workers to join a union without harassment or intimidation by management. All of these standards have been adopted by Sutter-owned Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Sutter Solano Medical Center, Sutter Delta Medical Center, California Pacific Medical Center and St. Luke's Hospital. Caregivers at Eden Medical Center are also fighting for wage increases to match other Sutter affiliates in Alameda County.
At the last bargaining session on February 22nd, hospital management arrived unprepared without any written proposals for settlement and bargained in bad faith. Management suggested an "all or nothing" package proposal that would undermine the workplace rights and patient care standards recently negotiated at other Sutter hospitals.
"In the last few weeks, Alta Bates, Solano and Delta have all agreed to an industry standard contract that would improve the quality of care our patients would receive," said Doug Jones, and Administrative Assistant in Outpatient Surgery at Eden Medical Center. "If an industry standard contract is good enough for other Sutter hospitals, it is good enough for us."
150 members of the UHW Service Bargaining Unit at Eden Medical Center have been working without a contract since their last one expired on June 30, 2004. The unsettled contract will be the first for 150 members of the UHW Clerical Bargaining Unit.
CONTACT:
Thea Lavin c. 510-520-7732
SEIU United Healthcare Workers-WestCONTACT: Thea Lavin of SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West,+1-510-520-7732
Web site: http://www.seiu-uhw.org/
