Dominican Hospital workers picketed in front of the facility, asking for a speedy contract renegotiation in advance of an upcoming merger, according to an article on the Santa Cruz Sentinel website.
Pickets were planned in front of 28 hospitals — including the Live Oak facility — that are owned by San Francisco-based network Dignity Health as the end of multiyear contracts between the company and union employees draws near.
More than a third of Dominican Hospital’s 1,664 employees are represented by SEIU-UHW — United Healthcare Workers West — in roles including nursing assistant, front-lines staff and food service.
“The concern is that once they merge, the new entity may not share the same priorities as Dignity Health,” Union spokesman Sean Wherley said.
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