Caregivers at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Join Union

Win Gives Hospital Employees Opportunity for Better Wages, Benefits

Red Bluff –Last night, 230 healthcare workers employed at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital voted to join SEIU United Healthcare Workers – West (SEIU UHW).  The victory is the result of hospital workers organizing over several months to gain union representation.  They now join 14,000 healthcare workers represented by SEIU UHW at 27 hospitals stretching from Shasta to Los Angeles that are part of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW). 

“We’re just so ecstatic about this victory right now,” said Audrey Scott, an Admitting Representative who has worked at St. Elizabeth for 20 years.  “This is a step in the right direction, and we really look forward to working together with hospital management to better serve our patients.” 

“CHW has chosen to set an example for other health systems in the state by creating a free and fair process for employees to form a union,” said Sal Rosselli, President of SEIU United Healthcare Workers – West. “Over several years, CHW has chosen to work with its caregivers to achieve high standards for employees.  We applaud their continued commitment to establishing a workplace culture that promotes dignity and caregivers having a voice.”

Caregivers organized at St. Elizabeth because they hope to win standards that already exist at other nearby hospitals represented by SEIU UHW.  Those standards include caregivers having a voice in decisions affecting patient care, a training fund to help caregivers upgrade their skills, and competitive wages and benefits.

Nearby CHW hospitals whose caregivers are represented by SEIU UHW include Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta and Mercy Medical Center Redding.  Other area hospitals whose caregivers are represented by SEIU UHW include Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding and Enloe Medical Center in Chico.