California Healthcare Strike: Wages vs. Reality

Workers at five Providence hospitals in Southern California initiated a five-day strike on Monday, May 26, 2025, protesting stalled contract negotiations and demanding improvements in patient care and working conditions. The strike involves over 1,700 healthcare workers represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), impacting St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, and Providence Saint John’s Health Center. Key issues fueling the strike include concerns over inadequate staffing levels that compromise patient safety, rising healthcare costs for workers, and insufficient wage increases failing to keep pace with inflation. Workers accuse Providence of prioritizing profits over patient well-being, citing instances of delayed procedures, shortages of essential supplies, and overburdened staff struggling to provide quality care. They are pushing for guaranteed staffing ratios, affordable healthcare options, and fair wages to attract and retain qualified healthcare professionals. Providence, a multi-state Catholic healthcare system, has countered by claiming to have offered competitive proposals and accusing the union of engaging in disruptive tactics. They have hired replacement workers to maintain hospital operations during the strike, a move criticized by the union as exacerbating tensions and potentially jeopardizing patient care. The strikers include respiratory therapists, licensed vocational nurses, surgical technicians, and imaging technologists—many of whom have endured nearly eight months without a contract. find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/31/flus-m31.html