Los Robles hospital workers vote to strike unless deal reached
A union that represents more than 600 workers at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks has voted to strike for five days beginning May 22 unless an agreement is reached in contract negotiations.
Members of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West authorized strikes at five HCA Healthcare hospitals in a move announced Friday. The union represents workers ranging from emergency room technicians and respiratory therapists to pharmacy techs and food service workers.
Los Robles Health System leaders branded the planned strike as "reckless and unnecessary."
"The decision by SEIU-UHW leadership is startling and entirely at odds with the progress we have made at the bargaining table," they said in a written statement.
The walkout could be averted. Negotiating sessions are planned Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but the two sides are far apart, said Xochitl Gonzalez, union steward and a patient care technician at Los Robles.
The biggest barrier is the crisis-level shortage of workers, Gonzalez said. At Los Robles, patient care technicians may be asked to take care for as many as 30 patients at once, she said.
“They are refusing to acknowledge that there is a shortage,” she said. “They keep saying there is no issue.”
Los Robles leaders said they follow approved staffing guidelines.
The union represents about 3,000 workers at Los Robles, HCA Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Regional Medical Center of San Jose, West Hills Hospital and Riverside Community Hospital.
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About 97% of the union members who voted favored the strike, officials said. At Los Robles, only about half of the union members voted. Gonzalez said hospital leaders would not allow the vote to be held inside the facility, affecting turnout. Of the about 300 people who voted, only eight voted against the strike, she said.
It's not clear how many workers would honor a strike though Gonzalez asserted the number is growing.
HCA is one of the country’s largest for-profit health-care systems and reported $5.6 billion in profit in 2022. Gonzalez said the system is offering annual raises of 3% and said union members need more to cover inflation.
Los Robles leaders said in their statement that the hospital has not made a final wage proposal and noted five bargaining sessions are scheduled.
Union members said in news release the company prioritizes revenue over care.
"It's an unsafe environment,” said Shari Moseley, an admissions registrar at Regional Medical Center of San Jose. “But management is trying to silence us, trying to stop us from standing up for our patients and better working conditions. It’s time HCA listens to caregivers, invest in staffing and end the patient-care crisis in our hospitals now.”
Los Robles leaders questioned the union's reasoning.
"It's sadly ironic that in the name of the patient safety, SEIU-UHW leaders would create a situation that limits the available healthcare resources in the very communities where union members live and work," they said.
They responded to claims of eroding patient care by citing recognition and awards, including an "A" hospital safety grade 10 years in a row from the Leapfrog Group. The hospital was also named one of the nation's 250 best for 2023 by Healthgrades.
Gonzalez said the strike vote is a first for the union at Los Robles.
SEIU Local 121RN, the nurses union, voted to strike for 10 days at the hospital beginning on Christmas Eve 2020 but called off the action after a contract agreement was reached.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Hospital workers at Los Robles in Thousand Oaks threaten strike
