FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 16, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]

BURBANK, Calif. – Approximately 700 frontline healthcare workers at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center reached a tentative agreement for a new contract, a significant step towards addressing the understaffing issues and patient care concerns plaguing Burbank’s only hospital.

The tentative agreement must be ratified by hospital workers before it is final. The contract vote will happen on November 20 and 21.

In October, frontline caregivers at Providence St. Joseph went on a five-day Unfair Labor Practice strike. As frontline healthcare workers across the country have been leaving the industry in droves since the pandemic, this agreement marks a strong commitment to attracting and retaining good healthcare workers at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.

“This agreement will ensure we can provide the quality care our patients deserve. Addressing the issues of understaffing directly impacts our ability to deliver exceptional patient care,” said Jacob Fukumoto, a Special Procedures Tech at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. “We fought hard for this new agreement, and now we will finally have the resources to do the job we love, and keep our patients safe.”

Details of the agreement include:

• Addressing the staffing crisis by raising wages 7% in the first year, 4% in the second and 4% in the third year, and other improvements to retain current healthcare workers and attract new ones.
• Investments in frontline healthcare workers through training programs for hard-to-fill diagnostic positions such as radiology, x-ray, and CT to improve care for the local community.

SEIU-UHW represents more than 700 frontline healthcare workers at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, including lab technicians, phlebotomists, emergency room technicians, patient transporters, nursing assistants, and dietary and environmental services workers.

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SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.