Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / Getty Images
After several weeks of unsuccessful labor negotiations, more than 2,000 Workers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center began a 5-day strike on Monday in the midst of protests for being poorly paid, lack of person and fighting to offer adequate care to patients.
Early this Monday, around 500 employees, represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, gathered at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard with banners with messages such as “patients over profits”, “heroes of health need safe personnel” and “enough is enough”.
Hundreds of healthcare workers at Cedars-Sinai walked off the job this morning accusing the hospital of unfair labor practices. They plan to pick up until Friday evening unless a new labor contract is reached sooner. @abc7 pic.twitter.com/H9QNEUOlqo
— Rachel Brown (@abc7rachel) May 9, 2021
The workers accuse the medical center of unfair labor practices, in addition to urging the administrators to negotiate in good faith.
More than 2,000 maintenance workers, service personnel and workers of clinical support represent about 14% of the Cedars-Sinai workforce. His previous work contract of 3 years ended on March 19.
“We definitely didn’t want to do this, but we’re very disappointed in how you haven’t treated us for the last 2 1/2 years. We have risked our lives caring for patients during the COVID pandemic, and they should be caring for their workers,” said Clinical Associate Luz Oglesby, at the Los Angeles facility.
With 16 years of experience at the medical center, Oglesby said that Cedars-Sinai rejected the union’s request to ensure that workers have an adequate supply of protective equipment to take care of the spread of the coronavirus and to keep pregnant and immunocompromised workers away from those sick with COVID.
Cedars Chairman and CEO Thomas Priselac refuted such accusations.
In a May 8 letter addressed to employees, patients and the community, Priselac stated that the hospital’s precautions and safeguards are consistent with federal and state guidelines to protect Protect all employees who enter the patient areas.
Priselac said the hospital continues to pay workers who have been infected by COVID as they recover so they don’t have to draw on their accrued vacation or sick leave to recover on their time off.
According to the clinical partner, workers are struggling to survive on the wages Cedars offers in the face of rising inflation. Current hospital starting salary is about $17 dollars per hour.
While Oglesby said the hospital proposed salary increases of 2.25% annually, Priselac mentioned that Cedars offers the union average raises of 16% during the duration of the contract of 3 years, from the ratification.
Management said that the hospital will remain open and operational during the strike of the employees.
The two parties plan to resume labor negotiations this Tuesday May .
Last year, state health and safety regulators mult They went to Cedars with $100,700 for 7 citations that violated Cal/OSHA regulations designed to protect workplace safety.
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