MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
May 11, 2022
LOS ANGELES –Healthcare workers and community allies will rally TOMORROW at 12 p.m., Wednesday, May 11 in Beverly Hills outside of the annual Cedars‑Sinai Spring Luncheon and Fabulous Fashion Show.
“It’s ridiculous that Cedars-Sinai management rejected workers’ safety proposals, even after receiving a massive fine from the department of public health for a serious violation that resulted in a patient’s death,” said Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “Workers at Cedars have been on strike this week to demand that management takes patient and worker safety more seriously. Instead of throwing lavish fashion shows at swanky hotels, Cedars-Sinai needs to address patient safety, invest in their workforce, and reach a fair compromise on wages with their employees.”
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued a $75,000 fine to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for an immediate jeopardy violation stemming from an incident that resulted in an ICU patient’s death in 2021. According to the state survey deficiency, the patient was found disconnected from two pieces of equipment and the patient’s vitals had not been taken in over two hours.
SEIU-UHW workers are striking this week over Cedar Sinai’s unfair labor practices. In negotiations with Cedars-Sinai, the union has raised issues involving better pay and patient and worker safety. The union has proposed minimum staffing ratios for the Clinical Partners it represents of 1:8 patients. However, Cedars Sinai rejected these proposals outright without engaging in any dialogue at the bargaining table.
More than 2,000 Cedars-Sinai employees are members of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), and their contract with the hospital expired on March 31, 2022.
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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.