Workers with Sutter Health’s psychiatric hospital went on strike for the second time in five months this week, calling on the company to agree to their contract proposals and expedite the bargaining process.
From Tuesday to Thursday morning, dozens of members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, including vocational nurses, social workers, kitchen and janitorial staff, picketed outside the Sutter Center for Psychiatry on Folsom Boulevard near Power Inn Road.
The group is bargaining to retain their health care benefits, and to improve wages. They also say the 73-bed center, which looks after children and adults with acute mental health needs, has seen patient and worker injuries.
“When (we’re) working 16-hour shifts because we're not being paid enough, we're tired, so that puts patients in danger and that puts us in danger,” said Patient Care Support Specialist Kenisha Campbell.
She added the persistent understaffing puts pressure on current staff.
“I would rather work an extra shift not to have my co-workers short and have them get hurt,” she said.
The workers held a one-day strike in December, and they say another strike is on the table. They joined the NUHW in November 2021, and have been bargaining for a new contract since April 2022.
In an emailed statement, a Sutter spokesperson said the company was “incredibly disappointed” by the strike, and that recent bargaining sessions have been productive.
“We’ve had constructive conversations regarding wages and benefits, and we look forward to resuming those discussions soon,” a spokesperson said.
Ruby Locke has been a patient care support specialist at the center for 21 years and at Sutter Health for her entire professional career. Starting pay for her position is $21.86 an hour.
Patient Care Support Specialist Ruby Locke says she's worked for Sutter Health for her entire professional career and is ashamed of how low her wages are. She picketed outside of Sutter Center for Psychiatry on April 25, 2024.Kate Wolffe/CapRadio
“I'm almost ashamed to tell people how much money I make and I've been with Sutter for this long,” she said. “I feel like my work is not appreciated and paid fairly.”
Locke said the workers want base pay for that position to be $26 an hour. She added having higher compensation could open up her world.
“I could go and take some classes, I could do something different,” she said. “You know, I would feel more energized.”
California health care workers can expect to see a raise in the coming years. A $25 minimum wage for staff of health care facilities was passed last year and will be phased in, with the largest health systems putting it into place by 2026, and more cost-burdened hospitals having until 2033 to meet the target.
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