Natalie Barbrie grew up among union women; her mother, a nurse, and sister, a teacher, belonged to their own organizations, and she was a member of the Writers Guild of America.
“I’ve always been pro-union, pro-worker,” said Barbrie, who didn’t hesitate to get involved when behavioral specialists and mental health workers at Rogers Behavioral Health in Los Angeles wanted to join NUHW, following the example of their colleagues in Walnut Creek and San Diego.
“I’ve always been very outspoken,” said Barbrie. “I care about my patients and my coworkers. I want to help people.”
Barbrie has been doing that since she joined Rogers Behavioral Health over three years ago, when she led the effort to secure a $7,000 raise for caregivers at the clinic who provide inpatient and outpatient mental health and addiction treatment.
She also helped lead the effort to ratify their first union contract earlier this year, which sets caseload limits, bans job losses over the use of new technology, and lets workers waive their no-strike clause if the employer seeks to change working conditions.
The terms, which were first won by Rogers workers in the Bay Area, has spurred other Rogers workers to join NUHW, first in Southern California and most recently in Philadelphia, where Rogers workers have filed for a union election.
Being part of a union and having their first contract has helped Barbrie and her coworkers understand their rights as workers. “We don’t have to blindly agree to everything. We have boundaries and limits that we can adhere to,” she said.
The contract let them to focus on patient care by forcing the company to hire a front desk person after six months of therapists having to pitch in to answer phone calls.
“It takes less burden from the therapists who are already doing too much,” Barbrie said of that change. “The patients are going to have more opportunities to be guided by staff, especially if we have people who are dysregulated and need help.”
Just as she did when she was part of the Writers Guild, Barbrie recognizes the benefits of being involved in her first healthcare union.
“You feel supported,” she added. “If something is wrong, we have somebody we can talk to make it right. “It feels like we’re all in this together.”
