Health care workers at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch went on strike Monday, alleging understaffing, difficult working conditions, and unfair labor practices, union officials said.
Sutter Delta Medical Center employees say they are worried for patient and staff safety and that conditions are dire in the facility as management ignores their concerns.
"We're drowning. There's just not enough staff," Jennifer Stone, an emergency room technician at Sutter Delta Medical Center, said in a statement. "We can't give adequate care. We feel like management is ignoring our concerns and is leaving us to fend for ourselves. We can't do it all anymore."
Workers say understaffing predated the COVID-19 pandemic due to poor management decisions by the hospital and the pandemic only exacerbated concerns.
Sutter Health officials said in a statement Friday afternoon that they were "disappointed union leaders have chosen to distract from patient care by taking this action, especially at a time when we should be focusing our attention on caring for our community."
The statement continued, "The union has proved its disregard for our patients and communities by engaging in a strike while refusing to make a good faith effort to reach a deal. It's a clear statement that the union is more interested in flexing its political power than reaching a fair agreement on behalf of its members."
Sutter Health released a statement Monday:
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"We are disappointed union leaders have chosen to distract from patient care by taking this action, especially at a time when we should be focusing our attention on caring for our community.
"The union has proved its disregard for our patients and communities by engaging in a strike while refusing to make a good faith effort to reach a deal. It’s a clear statement that the union is more interested in flexing its political power than reaching a fair agreement on behalf of its members.
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"We stand by our offer, and SEIU should too: they negotiated this contract, were confident enough to place it on a ballot, and it was recently approved by more than 3,000 employees at seven other SEIU-represented hospitals across our system. We value our caregivers and their continued commitment to compassionate patient care in the face of an unprecedented health crisis, which is why our proposed contract guaranteed pay and benefits that are as good or better than others in the area:
- 13% salary increase over four years: 3% yearly salary increases each year for 3 years and a 4% increase in year 4
- 100% employer paid health coverage for employees and their families
- Funding to support access for our employees to education, credentialing and growth opportunities and creates a pipeline for new hires
"Regardless of the union’s actions, Sutter Delta’s commitment to providing the community with critical services and high-quality, safe patient care remains unchanged."