Union blood runs through Valerie Aquinaldo.
Her father, Elias Espinoza, worked as a grape picker and served as the secretary of the local chapter of the United Farm Workers. He participated in marches, protests, and celebrations of union victories alongside Cesar Chavez as a member of the band known as “Los Niteliters.”
“My parents have always been for people’s rights and treating everybody equally,” Aquinaldo said. “My dad was always looking out for what was right. I grew up with those teachings and it’s become a passion.”
Aquinaldo, a respiratory therapist, carries on the family tradition as a union steward at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, where she has worked for the past 16 years. “I enjoy defending people,” she said. “I’m proud when we can save someone’s job.”.
Aquinaldo and her coworkers will have more on their plate this year than saving jobs. After the hospital declared bankruptcy in 2023, it unilaterally slashed retirement, health, and vacation benefits that workers will now try to restore in upcoming contract negotiations. An agreement last year included a 12.5 percent wage increase, but it maintained some of the benefits cuts that the hospital had imposed upon their bankruptcy filing.
NUHW has successfully challenged the legality of the bankruptcy filing, which could help workers get back benefits that were taken away. But it will take a strong, unified effort to get the hospital to reverse the cuts that were in their last contract as the hospital was on the brink of being sold.
“We lost our pension… and we lost 12-14 days of time off,” Aguinaldo said.
“We see this as an opportunity to win something for ourselves.”
The negotiations are taking place as the San Benito Health Care District Board of Directors prepares to transfer ownership of the hospital to Insight, a for-profit hospital chain based in Michigan. Insight is already under fire amid accusations of questionable business practices, including insurance fraud and purchasing struggling hospitals with false promises of their recovery.
Aquinaldo understands these are challenging times, but workers have always faced obstacles, just as her father did while organizing with the UFW.
“Let’s not be scared,” she tells her coworkers. “I’m very headstrong. I fight for the greater good. I think of everybody, and I know we’re stronger together.”
