San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
MORE HEALTH CARE WORKERS VOTE TO JOIN UNION
A new union representing health care workers at East County’s only hospital just got bigger after employees at a related organization voted to join, part of a broader struggle in the industry between advocates for higher pay and health system leaders who say they’re struggling financially.
Workers at Sharp Hospicecare in La Mesa voted earlier this month to become part of United Healthcare Workers West, an arm of the Service Employees International Union.
The tally was 60 in favor and 20 opposed, with another 20 not voting, according to federal records.
“I came from another organization, Kaiser, that had a union and I saw what a difference a union makes,” Milad Nukho, one of the organizers and a home health aide with Sharp Hospicecare, said in an interview. She hoped a new contract could bring bigger paychecks, lower health premiums and more say over patient loads, among other changes.
A hospital spokesperson sent a brief statement saying, “Sharp Healthcare values the great work of our hospice team members, and we respect their decision.”
The message was similar to how leaders publicly responded in February when a majority of front-line employees at Sharp Grossmont, including certified nursing assistants and laboratory technicians, unionized with SEIUUHW.
Results for both elections are still being certified by the National Labor Relations Board, meaning contract negotiations have not yet begun, and Sharp continues to pursue a complaint against the union from the first campaign.
The hospital accused SEIU-UHW representatives of displaying “threatening behaviors at employees’ homes,” a claim a union spokesperson denied.
At the same time, local officials have kept pressure on the hospital.
The La Mesa City Council last month passed a symbolic resolution supporting a proposal in the California Legislature that would raise the minimum wage for some health care workers to $25.
“We have to set some kind of standard to make sure that we’re taking care of the people who take care of us,” said Councilmember Patricia Dillard.
The council voted 3-1 to throw its weight behind Senate Bill 525, which is still working its way through the Statehouse. Laura Lothian was the lone “no,” saying again that elected leaders shouldn’t step into debates between employers and employees and worrying about the measure’s unintended consequences.
A mandated higher minimum wage has been opposed by some health care leaders.
Dimitrios Alexiou, president and CEO of the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, warned that mandated wage increases could lead to reduced services or even facility closures.
“This proposal would also result in higher health insurance premiums and higher costs for state and local governments,” he wrote in an email shared with The San Diego Union-tribune.
Through a spokesperson, the board overseeing the Grossmont Healthcare District, which owns Sharp Grossmont, similarly opposed the bill “due to the increased costs for alreadystrained health care providers,” particularly in “rural areas.”
The board declined comment on the newest union vote.
The April 11 election included full- and part-time hospice workers, including licensed vocational nurses, clerical assistants and home health aides. The union will not cover doctors, registered nurses and guards, among others.
Employees will pay 2 percent dues to the union once a contract is finalized, Nukho said.