Members of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West at Dignity Health hospitals have approved a new four-year contract with wage increases.
The contract covers more than 18,000 healthcare workers at more than 40 Dignity facilities in California, according to an April 17 union news release. San Francisco-based Dignity and Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives merged in 2019 to create Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.
"After three years of the pandemic, we are burnt out and exhausted," Denese Owen, a surgical technician at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff, Calif., said in the union release. "Worse yet, we are always short-staffed because so many caregivers have left our hospital for better-paying, less stressful jobs elsewhere. This contract shows that Dignity Health really does value our contribution to patient care and recognizes the financial challenges we face living in California."
SEIU-UHW said the new contract raises wages 18 percent over the life of the contract and boosts the minimum wage throughout the system to $21 per hour by 2024. Workers will receive an immediate 5 percent raise and additional annual raises of 4 percent, 4 percent and 5 percent until the agreement expires in 2027.
The contract also invests in training new workers and upskilling currently employed caregivers, improving hiring practices, and creating more robust mental health services for workers, the union said.
Dignity Health shared the following statement with Becker's: "We are pleased to have reached a fair agreement with SEIU-UHW that honors the commitment of our valued staff. We appreciate their service and dedication to improving health in the communities we serve."