Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers began a three-day strike April 23 at the Sutter Center for Psychiatry in Sacramento, Calif., according to NBC affiliate KCRA.
The union represents approximately 150 workers at the 73-bed psychiatric hospital, according to the NUHW. The hospital is part of Sutter Health, a 23-hospital system with locations across Northern California.
Union members, which include mental health therapists, social workers, licensed vocational nurses, housekeepers, kitchen staff and patient care support specialists, say they seek a contract that improves wages, preserves affordable health benefits and addresses what they contend are unsafe staffing levels and worsening conditions for patients.
"We haven't had a raise in three years," Kenisha Campbell, a unit secretary and patient care support specialist, said in a union news release. "A lot of us are doing double shifts and working on our days off because we're living paycheck to paycheck and we're so short-staffed."
A Sutter spokesperson shared a statement with Becker's expressing disappointment about the strike.
"This action is unnecessary and falls just after a series of productive bargaining sessions. In addition, we've had constructive conversations regarding wages and benefits, and we want to continue those discussions," the spokesperson said.
Sutter added that it does not anticipate this strike will affect the hospital's ability to provide quality and compassionate care to patients.
NUHW members also held a one-day strike at the hospital in December.