FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
March 4, 2025

WATSONVILLE, Calif. – Nearly 200 frontline healthcare workers who are part of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) at Watsonville Community Hospital have voted to authorize a three-day unfair labor practice strike at the hospital by a 98% yes vote.

 “I have worked at this hospital for more than 30 years and given my heart and soul to caring for our community,” said Chris Gill, a Surgical Technologist at Watsonville Community Hospital. “All we want is to care for our patients and community. We won’t stop fighting for our rights, patients, and one high standard of care and working conditions. It’s disappointing that the Hospital is bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices.”

Watsonville Community Hospital workers last went on strike in 2018 against then-owner Quorum Healthcare, a corporation based out of Tennessee. In the years since, frontline workers and Watsonville area leaders advocated for the hospital to be purchased by community interests, in the hopes that local, not-for-profit leadership would improve the hospital’s financial situation. This advocacy resulted in the creation of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which purchased the hospital in 2022. Additionally, last year Watsonville voters passed Measure N, which increased local property taxes to allow the District to purchase the land the hospital sits on, saving millions in rent annually.

Despite the change of ownership and the bond measure, frontline healthcare workers say the District’s board is following in their corporate predecessor’s footsteps by refusing to acknowledge the staffing and patient care crisis in the hospital. Moreover, the District refuses to bargain in good faith and has committed other unfair labor practices. Short staffing and low pay put patients and workers at risk as they struggle to meet patients’ needs and many frontline caregivers leave to find better-paying jobs in nearby Santa Cruz and beyond.

“We can’t keep good people here anymore,” said Emily Tiongsan, a Lead Clinical Lab Scientist. “New workers come here, get a little experience, and then move on, leaving us constantly understaffed. We worked hard to bring ownership of our hospital back to our community because we thought they would understand what it takes to keep enough workers here. But they’re squeezing us just as hard as our out-of-state corporate owners tried to. To make things worse, management is refusing to bargain with us in good faith, forcing us to strike.”

Healthcare workers have been leaving the industry in droves with devastating consequences for patients, and the crisis is reaching small communities like Watsonville. The Healthcare District needs to listen to frontline healthcare workers to find solutions that benefit patients, frontline healthcare workers and the community they all serve.

The strike vote applies to various job classes, including patient care partners, clinical laboratory specialists, pharmacy technicians, surgical technologists, patient transporters, radiology clerks, emergency room technicians, food service workers, lab technicians, environmental services aides, and numerous other frontline healthcare workers.

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 SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 110,000 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.