Members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 39, a labor union affiliated with the AFL-CIO, are striking outside Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Dominican Hospital, part of San Francisco-based Dignity Health, according to a Santa Cruz Sentinel report.
Local 39 represents engineers, and its 15 members at Dominican Hospital care for heating, air conditioning, ventilation, plumbing and medical life support systems, among other responsibilities, according to the report. Members are striking because their pay does not match the pay of their counterparts at other Dignity Health hospitals in the area. They have been on strike since Oct. 1.
The hospital has flown in four replacements to maintain operations during the strike, according to the report. A Dignity Health spokesman issued a statement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, saying the system has offered raises to union members that are "comparable" to raises at other hospitals in the area, and that Dignity "continues to be willing to resolve issues with the union in a respectful and professional manner."
The last contract between Dominican Hospital and Local 39 expired in July 2011. No negotiation dates or an end date for the strike were reported.
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