Workers at 11 Tenet Healthcare hospitals in California have reached an agreement on pandemic safety, personal protective equipment and workplace health and safety protocols, according to the union that represents them.
The agreement covers 4,300 SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West members, who work at:
- High Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree
- Doctors Hospital of Manteca
- Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock
- Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs
- San Ramon Regional Medical Center
- Los Alamitos Medical Center
- Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo
- John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio
- Lakewood Regional Medical Center
- Doctors Medical Center in Modesto
- Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton
According to a union news release, the agreement includes quarantine pay, worker support and lodging, and compliance with state PPE guidelines. It also includes 3 percent yearly raises and higher standby pay, bumps minimum wage to $19.50 per hour and maintains healthcare and other benefits.
Both sides praised the deal.
In the union news release, Gisella Thomas, a respiratory therapist at Desert Regional Medical Center, said SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West "stood together to improve safety protocols — and to advocate for wages and benefits that reflect the hard work we do every day for our patients."
Tenet spokesperson Todd Burke told Becker's via email that the for-profit hospital operator views the agreement as "good for employees and our hospitals."