One-hundred forty-four workers at a cancer research center's business office in Irwindale, Calif. have voted to join Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the union announced.
The vote covers 16 job classifications, including chemotherapy authorization specialists, medical records clerks, patient care representatives and credentialing coordinators, at City of Hope.
"For many of us, we entered this line of work and chose this employer after having a family member or friend battle cancer,” said Erika Sanchez, a data entry clerk at City of Hope Medical Foundation. “We are now in a position to speak with a unified voice to improve wages and benefits so that we can honor our commitment to this institution and its mission."
City of Hope, an independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, provided Becker's with a statement regarding the unionization vote.
City of Hope "is devoted to providing leading-edge medical treatment. We hire exemplary employees and support their resolve to explore opportunities to further strengthen their commitment to delivering first-class, compassionate patient care," the statement reads.
The union has about 95,000 healthcare worker members in California., including 765 employees at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, Calif.
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