They say good things come in threes, and that’s plain to see at MarinHealth Medical Center, where 157 caregivers recently voted in three separate union elections to join their colleagues as NUHW members.
The wins expand worker power at the public hospital in the Bay Area serving Marin County, where NUHW already represents 150 medical technicians and pharmacy workers. Medical technicians at the hospital recently succeeded in reversing increases to their health premiums that were in violation of their contract, and pharmacists won a first contract earlier this year with eye-popping $24 per hour raises.
“We’ve seen our coworkers win strong raises, benefits, and job protections that all of us need in these difficult financial times,” said Hannah Kopp-Yates, a midwife. “We’re ready to come together and advocate for fair wages, better benefits, and the resources we need to better support our families and care for our patients.”
In the first election of 15 midwives, 92 percent voted to join NUHW. 11 voted to join NUHW, with only one worker opposed and three votes challenged by the employer.
A week later, 86 hospital professionals, including physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, voted 89 percent to join NUHW. In the last election, 56 nurse practitioners and physician assistants voted by an overwhelming margin of 95 percent to join NUHW.
Winning these elections was no easy task. The employer used a number of delay tactics to push back the elections and attempted to hold anti-union meetings and to send emails to dissuade the workers from organizing. But that didn’t sway the workers, who voted to join NUHW in commanding victories.
The new NUHW members at MarinHealth will seek to unite as a single professional unit under a single contract. At the negotiating table, the workers will be fighting for strong raises, consistency in improved PTO accruals and benefits, clinical ladders to help them further increase their pay, a voice in the care they provide, and job security in the face of impending Trump Administration cuts to health care.
“The hospital tried to discourage us from forming a union, but we stood together and voted to join NUHW,” said Raquel Garcia-Ball, a nurse practitioner. “Now we’re going to stand strong to bargain a single contract that will improve our lives and the care our patients receive.”
