Providence Workers Unite for Fair Contracts in Northern California

Healthcare Workers in Northern California Stand United in Contract Negotiations

In Northern California, members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) employed by Providence hospitals are engaged in critical contract negotiations. The workers are confronting a company strategy they perceive as focused on reducing community services and minimizing their pay.

Despite Providence's tactics, NUHW members from Sonoma, Napa, and Humboldt counties are showing unprecedented solidarity. Recently, over 75% of employees from Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Petaluma Valley, Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Redwood Memorial, and St. Joseph Eureka, including those in hospice and home care services, signed a unity petition. This document pledges that workers will “remain united across Northern California to secure a fair contract that protects our patients, invests in our communities, and grants us the dignity we deserve as essential healthcare workers.”

Shannon Signer, a radiology technician at Santa Rosa Memorial, noted enthusiasm among workers for the petition. “Providence isn’t trying to hide its bad intentions,” she stated. “It has billions in reserves but continues cutting services, making it harder for us to care for patients.”

Providence expanded its influence in Northern California healthcare by acquiring St. Joseph Health a decade ago. Initially touted as a chance to enhance services, the merger has led to job cuts and service reductions across the region in recent years.

Amid the pandemic, Providence closed two maternity centers, shut down outpatient labs, announced the closure of Humboldt County's only acute rehabilitation center, and is moving to close a second urgent care facility in Sonoma County.

Carmel Papworth-Barbnum, a social worker at Providence Hospice of Sonoma County, commented, “Providence is singularly focused on profit, so we must focus on contracts that protect us as workers and safeguard healthcare in our communities.”

The unity among nearly 2,300 NUHW workers at Providence in Northern California began well before the petition. Last year, NUHW members across Providence hospitals joined forces with Sonoma County Hospice unionists to form a Coordinated Bargaining Council. Council members have traveled extensively to attend negotiation sessions at various Providence hospitals, despite objections from company lawyers who prefer to keep workers divided.

Recent weeks have seen the council grow stronger with newly organized professional workers from St. Joseph Eureka and Santa Rosa Memorial joining and negotiating individual contracts alongside their colleagues.

While individual contract negotiations are expected, common standards are emerging. For instance, shift cancellation limits have been established at all Providence hospitals except Queen of the Valley in Napa. However, after lengthy negotiations, the company has agreed to extend this common standard to Queen.

“We are aiming to elevate all standards,” said a member of the NUHW and the Coordinated Bargaining Council. “We want better protections against job outsourcing, seniority rights, and against unfair discipline. For each standard, we're adopting the best contractual language available, sometimes enhancing it, to make it the norm across the region.”

Providence workers are also striving for a new standard regarding wages and health benefits. The company currently pays less than local competitors in the Bay Area, resulting in high turnover and chronic understaffing affecting healthcare delivery. The council is proposing adjustments to bring wages in line with competitors like Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, along with employer-paid health coverage.

“We know Providence won’t like our proposals,” said a worker involved in the negotiations. “But we also know Providence can afford this, and the more unity we show as workers and build in our communities, the harder it will be for Providence to ignore our needs and those of our friends, neighbors, and patients.”

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