Inspired by their colleagues at nearby San Pedro, who organized with NUHW a year ago, 516 workers at Providence Little Company of Mary in Torrance voted to form a union.
The caregivers include certified nursing assistants, food service workers, phlebotomists, radiology transporters, unit secretaries, and housekeepers who began their organizing efforts after observing their colleagues at nearby Providence Little Company of Mary San Pedro.
“I’m super happy. I still can’t believe we did it,” said an ecstatic Leticia Haretakis, a food service attendant who decided to organize after witnessing the lack of respect from managers in the Dietary Department.
“The managers retaliate against those who speak up,” Haretakis said. “I want to fight for a contract that ensures fairness. We need to change things around here.”
The workers defeated an anti-union campaign from Providence that spread misinformation about the union. They will now sit at the table with management as they seek better benefits, staffing levels, more paid time off, and enhanced safety measures for themselves and their patients.
“Every time management made a change, our voice was not heard because we didn’t have a union,” said Jay Udeoba, a certified nursing assistant who wants to fight for better wages and advocate for his colleagues and their patients.
“Now that we have a union, we will have a voice in the hospital,” he said.
This group of workers continues the strong unionizing effort NUHW has seen all year at Providence facilities throughout the state.
In February, 86 rehabilitation therapists, social workers, and dietitians at Providence Little Company of Mary in San Pedro voted overwhelmingly to join their 500 service and technical coworkers who had become NUHW members in late 2024. In May, 55 professionals at St. Joseph Eureka in Humboldt County and nearly 100 others at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital voted to unionize.
NUHW represents more than 3,000 Providence workers, two-thirds of whom work in Northern California, five hospitals and a home hospice service. They are currently negotiating their next union contract.
Providence is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the nation, operating 51 hospitals and over 900 clinics. Despite having $8.4 billion in cash reserves and investments as of 2023, the organization has been shortstaffing its workforce and reducing healthcare services. This includes closing maternity wards and outpatient labs to further cut costs, which has compromised job security for employees and put patient care at risk.
