FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2024

CALIFORNIA — Less than a year after the first strike at dialysis clinics in U.S. history, hundreds of caregivers at Fresenius Kidney Care, Satellite Healthcare, and U.S. Renal will be picketing throughout July and August starting on July 24. The informational pickets will take place at various locations across California. Workers say they need to bring attention to dangerous conditions and bad faith bargaining that put patients in these clinics at increased risk for disruptions in their dialysis care.

“We’re standing up to say we’ve had enough,” said Alice Islip, a Patient Care Technician at Fresenius Gateway. “We aren’t going to allow these greedy corporations to profit while our patients and coworkers are put at risk. Every time we’re forced to shorten a patient’s treatment due to understaffing, we’re shortening that patient’s lifespan, and our employers know it. This has to stop.”

Chronic short-staffing in dialysis care has allowed dialysis corporations to make huge profits as patients’ quality of care continues to decline because there isn’t enough staff to care for them. In 2023, the industry made more than $1.4 billion in combined profits.

“Our patients put their trust in us every time they receive this life-saving treatment because they can lose consciousness, have a seizure, or bleed out and die in a matter of minutes if we don’t have the staffing levels, we need to monitor our patients and respond immediately to emergencies. You are making millions every year while neglecting your responsibility to these patients who are especially vulnerable to understaffing,” reads a recent letter from more than 400 dialysis workers to corporate executives.

SEIU-UHW represents more than 700 dialysis caregivers at Fresenius, Satellite Healthcare and U.S. Renal 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.

PRIMARY PICKET LOCATIONS AND TIMES:

   July 24 & 25

Satellite Blossom Valley – San Jose

1450 Kooser Rd, San Jose, 95118

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Fresenius Elk Grove – Sacramento

8139 Elk Grove Blvd, Suite 200, Elk Grove 95758

10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Fresenius Riverside

3470 La Sierra Avenue Suite E, Riverside, 92503

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

   July 24 only

Fresenius East County – San Diego

570 North 2nd Street, El Cajon, 92021

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

For the full list of locations, email [email protected].  

BACKGROUND:

Dialysis, a life-saving medical procedure that is a lifeline for more than 60,000 California residents with kidney failure, filters a patient’s blood and other toxic fluids from the body over the course of several hours at required weekly appointments several times a week. The risk of complications and even death is greatly increased when workers are unable to properly monitor their patients due to understaffing.

# # # # # # #

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.