Quick Take
Service workers at Watsonville Community Hospital have reached a tentative agreement with hospital administrators over health care benefits and wages, avoiding a three-day strike, according to union representatives.
Service workers at Watsonville Community Hospital have reached a tentative agreement with hospital administrators over health care benefits and wages, avoiding a strike.
Earlier this week, surgical, pharmaceutical, emergency room and lab technicians represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) had authorized a three-day strike ahead of a bargaining session with hospital administrators on Thursday. The union represents nearly 200 workers across two bargaining units at the hospital.
The workers and hospital administration reached a three-year agreement, said union representative Maria Leal. The agreement, she said, will help fix staffing issues by “helping ensure experienced front-line health care workers stay at our hospital and will help us attract new workers.”
The agreement includes affordable health care benefits for employees and a 9% wage increase over three years. Employees with one to two years of experience will receive an additional 5% raise to get their wages closer to industry standards.
Workers will vote to approve the new contract on Tuesday. If employees do not approve the agreement, the union goes back to the bargaining table with the hospital, said Leal.
“Securing this agreement was important for both our employees and our patients. After months of negotiations, this milestone helps ensure staff retention and prevents potential disruptions to patient care,” said interim hospital spokesperson June Ponce via email.
Ponce said the agreement reflects the hospital’s ongoing dedication to its employees and shared mission of providing quality care to patients.
Chris Gil, who’s been a surgical technician at the hospital for 11 years, said the agreement is a win for the community and gives workers more hope.
“We felt it was a reasonable offer, and it really was much better for us than what they were offering at the beginning,” Gil said.
The hospital administration had been trying to change workers’ health care benefits in a way that would have increased premiums for employees, Leal told Lookout earlier this week.
Gil said he and his coworkers felt overwhelmed and undervalued by the hospital because of problems with staff retention. As much as workers did not want to go on strike, he said they felt it was their only option.
The majority of union members are happy with the tentative agreement and the idea that it will improve employee retention and make the hospital more attractive to potential new hires, said Gil.
“We’re still not at the area standards, but we’re getting closer, and it gives the people at least an option to maybe stay here, hoping and seeing that it’s getting better, as opposed to just coming, getting some training and leaving,” Gil said.
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