99% of workers voted in favor of an unfair labor practice strike as Fresenius Kidney Care and Satellite Healthcare refuse to bargain in good faith
99% of workers voted in favor of an unfair labor practice strike as Fresenius Kidney Care and Satellite Healthcare refuse to bargain in good faith
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 21, 2023
CALIFORNIA — More than 500 dialysis caregivers will strike over unfair labor practices on September 25 and 26 at nearly two dozen Satellite Healthcare and Fresenius Kidney Care clinics across California.
The registered nurses, patient care technicians, social workers, hemodialysis technicians, and other caregivers who provide weekly dialysis treatments say management is putting staff and patients at risk to increase profits while violating their rights.
“We spend more time with our patients and coworkers than our own families, and they know we are chronically understaffed and underpaid,” said Manny Gonzalez, a Certified Hemodialysis Technician at Fresenius Kidney Care Juniper Fontana. “Fresenius is trying to keep us silent because they’re afraid of us standing together, and they know that our patients are supporting us in this fight.”
In response to caregivers’ attempts to improve safety, management from both corporations has violated United States labor law by threatening and intimidating caregivers, firing workers for trying to form a union and speaking out to improve patient care, making unilateral changes to working conditions without negotiating, and failing to bargain in good faith in contract negotiations.
Fresenius Medical Care made nearly $710 million in profits and paid its CEO approximately $5 million in compensation in 2022. Satellite Healthcare made $16.7 million in profits and paid its CEO $1.5 million in compensation in 2021. In contrast, many dialysis caregivers make as little as $17 an hour and routinely hold two or more jobs to make ends meet.
The strike applies to more than 500 dialysis caregivers at Fresenius and Satellite Healthcare clinics in various job classes including registered nurses, patient care technicians, licensed vocational nurses, certified clinical hemodialysis technicians, dietitians, social workers, clinical administrative coordinators, and receptionists.
This is just the beginning of strikes for dialysis workers in California. Even more Registered Nurses, technicians, and schedulers who work for Fresenius Medical Care and perform dialysis inpatient care at Sharp HealthCare hospitals, Scripps Health hospitals, and Tri-City Medical Center in the San Diego area, have planned an unfair labor practice strike for October 2 and 3. Dialysis caregivers are joined by nearly 100,000 other healthcare workers also voting to authorize strikes across healthcare corporations in California this fall.
| Fresenius Kidney Care East County Home |
570 N 2nd Street El Cajon, CA 92021 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Balboa East Lakes Dialysis |
2391 Boswell Rd Chula Vista, CA 91914 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Chula Vista South |
2252 Versus Street San Diego, CA 92154 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Gateway East |
720 Gateway Center Dr. Suite B San Diego, CA 92102 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Camarillo |
3801 Las Posas Rd Suite 103 Camarillo, CA 93010 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care University Dialysis Center of Orange |
1809 W Chapman Ave Orange, CA 92868 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Juniper Fontana |
10557 Juniper Ave Suite A Fontana, CA 92337 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care North Fontana |
16423 Sierra Lakes Pkwy Fontana, CA 92336 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Riverside |
3470 La Sierra Ave Suite E Riverside, CA 92503 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Indian Court Redlands |
1449 W Redlands Blvd Redlands, CA 92373 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Elk Grove Blvd. |
8139 Elk Grove Blvd Suite 200 Elk Grove, CA 95758 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Brentwood Park |
4510 Ohara Ave Suite B Brentwood, CA 94513 |
| Fresenius Kidney Care Antioch |
2386 Buchanan Rd Antioch, CA 94509 |
| Satellite Healthcare Folsom |
210 Blue Ravine Road, Suite 100 Folsom, CA 95630 |
| Satellite Healthcare Blossom Valley |
1450 Kooser Road San Jose, CA 95118 |
| Satellite Healthcare Gilroy |
8095 Camino Arroyo St., Suite 100 Gilroy, CA 95020 |
| Satellite Healthcare Milpitas |
1860 Milmont Drive Milpitas, CA 95035 |
| Satellite Healthcare Morgan Hill |
16060 Caputo Drive, Suite 140 Morgan Hill, CA 95037 |
| Satellite Healthcare Rohnert Park |
6265 Commerce Blvd., Suite 156 Rohnert Park, CA 94928 |
| Satellite Healthcare San Francisco |
1700 California Street, Suite 260 San Francisco, CA 94109 |
| Satellite Healthcare Vallejo |
4300 Sonoma Boulevard, Suite 25 Vallejo, CA 94589 |
Media Contact:
Maria Leal
[email protected]