Adventist Health faces demands from regional healthcare workers

Healthcare workers picketed outside Sierra Vista and Twin Cities in July

– Healthcare workers at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton have voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike. They are demanding that their employer, Adventist Health, bargain in good faith over issues of short staffing, working conditions, and low wages. The vote, which passed with a 92% majority, follows repeated attempts by frontline healthcare workers to address patient care concerns at the bargaining table.

“We’re having a hard time providing the quality care our patients deserve as more staff leave. We don’t take the decision to strike lightly, but we’ve reached our breaking point and are urging Adventist executives to address understaffing and working conditions in their hospitals now,” said Jennifer Mendoza, a pathology assistant at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. “We’re hoping that Adventist executives will bargain with us in good faith to reach an agreement, so we can provide the best care possible for our community.”

In July, healthcare workers picketed outside Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital, voicing concerns over understaffing, low wages, and the proposed increase in worker healthcare costs, which they argue make it difficult to attract and retain experienced staff. Workers believe that the push to increase healthcare costs will only worsen chronic understaffing, impacting both patients and staff.

Approximately 400 employees represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West are currently in contract negotiations with Adventist Health, which purchased Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital from Tenet Healthcare earlier this year. These workers hold various positions, including certified nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, emergency room workers, and lab assistants.

-Information submitted by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists. For more information visit www.seiu-uhw.org/.