An Open Letter to Our Co-Workers at Innercare

We, the dedicated workers of Innercare, are bound by our shared belief in our mission and our commitment to providing quality care to everyone in need and a strong support system for each other. But our work has become more challenging than ever.

The challenges we face are the direct result of our employer’s actions and decisions: sick leave policy; short staffing; lack of job security; inability to take much needed time off; overbearing workload; wages that have not kept up with the cost of living; disrespect and a refusal to listen to our concerns.

We believe that uniting in Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is our pathway to winning better jobs and better patient care at Innercare. Forming our union in SEIU-UHW is a powerful affirmation of our core values — particularly principles to commit to access to excellent care for everyone in need — and will give us the power to compel Innercare to more fully live up to our shared values:

• TEND TO THE HEART & SOUL OF INNERCARE by ensuring all staff are guaranteed a living wage, job protections, and a safe working environment.
• RESPECT AND HONOR EMPLOYEES by working with us to ensure fair access to time off, sick leave policy, safe staffing, and proper workloads. Work with us on solutions that staff can best recommend since we do this work every day; by taking our feedback seriously and maintaining an honest relationship with us.
• STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT by fostering a work environment conducive to happy workers and happy patients — and listening to staff when concerns are raised. Happy patients are returning patients.
• RETURN TO THE MISSION by ensuring excellent care, available to all — and by caring for us, the very people who provide that crucial role in care for the underserved, uninsured and migrant communities.

Joining together in SEIU-UHW is our best opportunity to ensure that Innercare lives up to these core values and principles. So on Monday, June 10, we filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board to make our union official. We look forward to getting our election date very soon.

SEIU-UHW is the largest healthcare union in California with over 110,000 members and a proven track record of addressing workplace problems and winning increased staffing and stronger wages. Uniting in SEIU-UHW will give us the power to shape the culture we desire at Innercare.

California is an at-will employment state, meaning that without a union our jobs can disappear without notice. Let’s protect our jobs, our patients, and our loved ones by joining SEIU-UHW. Together we can create a better future at Innercare where we are truly “the health of the people!”

In Solidarity,

Your Co-Workers on the SEIU-UHW Organizing Committee at Innercare