Strike by Los Robles hospital workers called off after contract deal
A strike that would have impacted hundreds of workers at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks has been averted by a tentative contract agreement, union and hospital officials said Thursday.
Members of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West had authorized strikes at five HCA Healthcare hospitals, including the Thousand Oaks facility, starting Monday. The strikes had been approved for five days.
The union and hospital management reached a contract settlement early Thursday in the "final hours" of scheduled negotiations, SEIU-UHW officials said in a release.
The union represents more than 600 workers at Los Robles. The four other facilities included in the agreement are Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Regional Medical Center in San Jose, West Hills Hospital & Medical Center and Riverside Community Hospital.
The proposed agreement includes 15% raises over three years that will help keep experienced health care workers on the job, according to the union's release. Health care and education benefits are also protected.
Health care workers have been going on strike at "unprecedented" levels, the group's statement said, due to low wages and chronic understaffing "while their employers amassed record profits."
Xochitl Gonzalez, a patient care technician and union leader at Los Robles, said in a statement health care workers are still dealing with trauma and burnout from the pandemic while many colleagues have left for better-paying jobs.
“Reaching this agreement wasn’t easy, but we stood together to advocate for worker and patient safety, improved staffing levels and fair wages and benefits that reflect the vital work we do everyday," Gonzalez said.
Antonio Castelan, spokesperson for HCA Healthcare's far west division, said in a statement the agreement reached with the system's five California hospitals came after more than three months of productive negotiations.
"We thank our communities for their ongoing support as we prepared to serve our patients had the union conducted a strike," Castelan said in the release. "We are fortunate that locally and nationally, our organization is able to draw upon its strength, its partners and colleagues across the country to support these five hospitals and communities.”
HCA is one of the country’s largest for-profit health care systems and reported $5.6 billion in profit in 2022.
The agreement must be approved by more than 3,000 hospital workers at the five facilities before it is final, union officials said, with a ratification vote scheduled later this month.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Strike by Los Robles hospital workers in Thousand Oaks called off
