EUREKA, Calif.—Over one hundred healthcare workers held a boisterous informational picket at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Calif., on Feb. 12, calling on the community to support the workers there, organized by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, in the struggle for a fair contract and for staffing levels adequate to good patient care.
The union points out that Providence has made tens of millions of dollars since taking over St. Joseph hospitals in northern California ten years ago. These profits were generated by slashing services and understaffing units because it refuses to pay market-rate salaries.
Starting in 2021, Providence has been systematically closing various services, including urgent care, rehabilitation, and labor and delivery services. These closures are particularly damaging and dangerous in a rural area like Humboldt County, where Eureka is located, since there are often no alternate services in the County that residents can access without several hours of driving.
Providence’s current offer to the union is a mere 2% raise—which doesn’t even match the rate of inflation, a virtual pay cut. The impact of this affects not only the workers but also patients and the community, since the meager pay makes it difficult to recruit and retain adequate staff for the Providence facilities.
Nicholas, an emergency room technician, told People’s World that workers “just want Providence to come to the bargaining table.” He complained not only of inadequate pay but also high premiums for health care.
The union, he pointed out, is also calling on Providence to stop shutting down services. He reported that his mother had just moved up to Humboldt County from Los Angeles and that he was really worried about whether her medical needs could be met.
“The executives make all these decisions, and they don’t even live here, they don’t know how it impacts us.” Asked if he thought that Providence put profits ahead of patients, he said, “Yes, definitely.”
The energy of the union picketers and the supportive blasts of the horn from most of the motorists who passed by showed that not only the union but also the community are ready to struggle to get Providence to change its ways.
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