Hospital workers at Desert Regional, JFK, Hi-Desert will go on strike if deal not reached

Union workers at 11 Tenet Healthcare hospitals throughout California, including three desert locations, have voted to authorize a five-day strike if progress isn't made at the bargaining table.

SEIU (Service Employees International Union)-United Healthcare Workers West members at 11 out of 12 Tenet hospitals voted by a margin of 97% in favor of a strike in response to what they allege are unfair labor practices committed by Tenet. A strike would take place Oct. 23 through 27 at those sites if a new contract cannot be negotiated. The union's contract expired on June 30.

Approximately 3,900 Tenet employees are members of SEIU-UHW West and work as licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, medical assistants, emergency room, radiology and respiratory techs, among others. In the Coachella Valley and surrounding area, 1,222 union members work at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree.

"All of us at Tenet, our coworkers and bargaining team members, are all hoping that we can reach a contract without the need to actually implement a strike," said Jason Brooks, a CNA and chief union steward at JFK Memorial. He added that the union provided a 10-day notice of the strike to Tenet, as well as a second notice.

Brooks said contract renegotiations began with Tenet in April and meetings have taken place two or three times a month. But there's been "slow movement" between both sides to come to an agreement, he said, and it has ultimately led to providing notice of a potential strike.

Among several issues, union members are hoping for an increase in wages and hiring additional staff members, which Brooks said would help address alleged unsafe staffing and patient conditions. Brooks said positions have remained open for several months, and potential candidates have turned down job offers because of wages. Because positions haven't been filled, it's led to Brooks and his colleagues having to take care of more patients at once, and patients having longer wait times.

"It’s really hard for a CNA who’s sitting in the ER lobby, who is the person that you can directly see, touch, hear, (have) to explain why it’s taking so long to get your results, why it’s taking so long to go to the next phase of your care, why it is that your discharge papers are not ready within five minutes," Brooks said. "It’s very hard because no one wants to hear it’s a staffing problem, and especially when we have an employer who we continuously are asking, ''What is your plan for staffing to resolve that?'"

"Unless we have a strong economic package, then we will never fill those positions, which means that patient care will never return to where it needs to be to be safe," he added.

In July, SEIU-UHW West members held pickets outside of the three local hospitals to bring attention to staffing shortages.

Tenet Healthcare said in a statement Tuesday that its hospitals have been "bargaining in good faith to reach a fair agreement to continue to recruit and retain staff. Unfortunately SEIU UHW is prioritizing spreading false narratives over reaching an agreement for its members."

"We provided SEIU with a competitive initial wage offer that would result in some of the highest increases SEIU-represented employees have ever seen. Despite this starting point, SEIU is refusing to make meaningful movement on its wage proposal," the statement read. "In fact, at the session yesterday, when the SEIU owed us a counter proposal, the Union refused to provide any updated proposal on annual increase for employees."

Tenet said this is the second notice that the union has provided in two weeks. The health care company stated that the first strike notice "failed to comply with a required notice under Federal law, putting employees’ employment at risk. It was only after we informed employees of the risk that the Union was putting them in, that SEIU provided us with a new notice."

"We are disappointed that the Union is taking this action. We would like to prioritize reaching an agreement for our employees," Tenet's statement continued. "However, should a strike occur, we are prepared and will be in full operation during that time. Our focus remains on providing the highest quality care to our community."

Tenet Healthcare, which runs Desert Regional, recently proposed another 30-year lease with the hospital during a Sept. 18 Desert Healthcare District special meeting. An intensive care nurse alleged unsafe staffing conditions during public comments, an issue that Desert Regional nurses (who are represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United) have also been bringing attention to over the last few years through pickets.

The looming SEIU-UHA West strike comes just as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in multiple states are planning to begin a three-day strike on Wednesday, which would be the largest health care worker strike in U.S. history. Prime Healthcare, Fresenius Medical Care and Satellite Healthcare have also voted to authorize strikes this fall.

If Tenet employees do go out on strike later this month, Brooks hopes civic leaders and other community members will show their support on the picket line.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Hospital workers at Desert Regional, JFK to strike if deal not reached