On August 16, 200 staff members of Providence Tarzana Medical Center went on strike, demanding an increase in wages and a solution for the understaffed hospital. The workers and their union, the National Union for Healthcare Workers, picketed outside of the hospital to display unity amongst the workers at the facility, and show their bosses that they will not be intimidated and will not back down.
Not only are the healthcare workers underpaid, but they are also dealing with chronic understaffing problems. As a result, hospital workers are left covering far too many patients at once, doing the job of multiple workers, which not only puts the staff under strain, but also diminishes the quality of healthcare.
“I’m here fighting for wages and proper staffing. Being understaffed means we’re overworked, but we work through breaks because we care about the patients,” said Pablo Gutierrez, speaking to Liberation News. “We demand an honest raise, only an increase of fifty to sixty cents. That’s not a lot and it’s fair.”
In response to the workers’ unity, the Tarzana medical center locked out workers for four days. The hospital workers have been struggling to cover living expenses, especially with increasing rental prices that have far outpaced wage and job growth. The 2 percent increase in wages offered by management is not enough; the Consumer Price Index of Los Angeles alone rises by 4 percent each year.
“It’s not just about wages, but also about how we are treated and understaffed,” Michelle Bitolas told Liberation. “We are often told to ‘hurry and get patients out.’ The staffing issues stem from nurses and other staff being told to go home early only to be called back eventually when the hospital gets backed up. The money for recent renovations could have gone to workers. We are exposed to diseases and we can’t even get good healthcare.”
Days prior to the strike, management threatened to replace striking caregivers for five days. Despite the threats, the healthcare workers continued organizing their unfair labor practice strike and united for a fair contract and respect.
