Strike vote comes after nearly seven months of negotiations. USC proposes wage freezes, elimination of free family HMO plan.
Los Angeles, CA – After nearly seven months of contract negotiations, healthcare workers at Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike with 86 percent of the 1,400 hospital workers turning out to vote and approving the strike nearly unanimously. Both hospitals are affiliated with Keck Medicine of USC.
USC healthcare workers, including environmental service workers,dietary and nutrition services, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, anesthesia technicians,and surgical technicians, are faced with rising inflation, increased living costs, and wages that are lower than other leading hospitals in the area.
Despite staffing shortages and worker burnout, the university is demanding wage freezes for some workers and the removal of a guarantee of the free family HMO plan which has currently in place.
“We’re fighting for our patients. Our hospital is increasingly understaffed and patients are waiting longer for care. The situation won’t get better as long as the university insists on paying salaries that are lower than Kaiser’s and lower than UCLA’s,” said Nayeli Alonso who works in Imaging at Norris Cancer Center.
Instead of offering proposals that would help address chronic understaffing at one of Los Angeles’ largest hospital systems, Keck–USC officials have proposed a provision that would severely limit the rights of caregivers to speak publicly about workplace issues that impact patients.
“It feels like USC has left us no choice but to strike,” said David Zavala, Patient Care Technician at Keck Hospital. “I’m disappointed in USC. When I started here I thought I was working for a university that cared about its workers, its patients, and our community. It feels like they want to make us get second jobs and price us out of Los Angeles. They have billions of dollars. Their executives make millions. Why can’t they pay me enough to pay my rent at my home right next to the university?”
The starting date and duration of the strike has not yet been set. Negotiations are scheduled to resume on August 28.
**INTERVIEWS WITH WORKERS AVAILABLE ON SITE OR PRE-ARRANGED VIA PHONE**
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The National Union of Healthcare Workers represents nearly 2,300 workers at Keck Medicine of USC hospitals, clinics, and call centers, including Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Verdugo Hills Hospital, and more than 40 outpatient facilities.
