Cedars-Sinai reaches three-year contract agreement with union following strike
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a union representing 2,000 workers reached a three-year contract agreement weeks after workers staged a five-day strike.
Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, which represents certified nursing assistants, transporters, environmental services workers, plant operations workers, surgical technicians and food service technicians, said in a news release that the ratified contract includes the largest raises in its history with the not-for-profit Los Angeles hospital.
The collective bargaining agreement includes safety measures such as access to personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing; provides average 17.5% pay increases by the end of the contract; elevates the minimum hourly wage to $21 by 2024; and guarantees health benefits, according to the SEIU-UHW.
“This was possible because we as a union stood together to advocate for the safety and wellbeing of healthcare workers and our patients,” Jose Sanchez, a lead transporter at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in the news release.
Cedars-Sinai Health System President and CEO Thomas Priselac said in a statement that he is pleased workers accepted the deal.
“We remain dedicated to providing competitive compensation and benefits that truly reflect the professionalism, skill and commitment of all those who work at our organization,” Priselac said.
The SEIU-UHW contract with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center expired March 31, 10 days after negotiations began. Workers went on strike in early May.
Tensions between workers and healthcare employers have been high throughout the pandemic, prompting numerous strikes and unionization campaigns.
More than 8,000 nurses and other employees of Sacramento, California-based Sutter Health held a one-day strike at 15 sites in April over staffing levels and safety concerns. And 5,000 nurses at Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health of Palo Alto, California, went on strike that month over stalled contract negotiations. The nurses returned to work after voting in favor of a three-year contract negotiated by the hospitals and the Committee for the Recognition of Nursing
Achievement union.▪