FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

January 4, 2022

Oakland, Calif. – More than 500 clinic workers at dozens of LifeLong Medical Care facilities across the Bay Area voted to improve patient care and jobs by uniting in SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), a union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers across California.

“Now we’ll have a strong voice to make sure our patients get the best care possible — and to protect good jobs throughout the Bay Area,” said Jenelyn Santos, a Referral Specialist at LifeLong Over 60 Health Center.

The victory was overwhelming: 99 percent of the workers voting supported joining SEIU-UHW. The vote applies to a variety of job classes, including Addiction Counselors, Associate Clinical Social Workers, Cancer Prevention Specialists, Case Managers, Community Health Workers, Medical Assistants, Housing Navigators, Receptionists, Referral Specialists, Registered Nurses, and Respiratory Therapists.

This is the second group of Bay Area clinic workers to unite in SEIU-UHW recently. Caregivers at Stanford Byers Eye Institute voted to join the union in October.

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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.