December
2002
Volume 26 •
No. 11
One-day SEIU strike passes; negotiations still under way
Employees represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 715
staged a one-day strike Nov. 13 at Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile
Packard Children's Hospital. The union represents about 1,400 support staff,
including nursing assistants, lab technicians and food service employees.
Hospital operations ran smoothly, as striking workers joined by some 60 to 80 Stanford students picketed outside both hospitals. Nearly 150 strikers and outside supporters joined in rallies outside Stanford Hospital at noon and 6 p.m.
Trained hospital personnel fulfilled some SEIU jobs, while registered nurses from both hospitals signed up for shifts to cover for striking nursing assistants. A representative from the state's Department of Health Services evaluated both hospitals during the day and found the quality of care excellent. All elective surgeries had previously been rescheduled in anticipation of the labor action, and six emergency surgeries were performed successfully.
The contract with the union expired Nov. 4, following a final economic proposal made by the hospitals that includes a pay hike of 21 percent on average over the next three years. Several key sticking points remain, including the union's demand for the creation of a patient-care committee that would include union membership and would be subject to binding arbitration. The hospitals' final offer does include an offer for such a committee. However, the hospitals have declined to make the committees subject to third-party arbitration, noting that final decision-making authority should reside with the hospital rather than a third party unfamiliar with hospital operations.
The two sides have also disagreed on subcontracting. The union has asked for no additional subcontracting, while the hospitals insist that the ability to subcontract services such as laundry is crucial to maintaining a focus on patient care and ensuring financial stability.
The union voted Nov. 8 to reject the hospitals' final proposal. In late November, hospital managers called in a federal mediator to help work out a new contract. On Dec. 2, the mediator and the two sides met, but no definitive results were reported as Medical Staff Update went to press.
Stanford gets high marks in managed-care plan's quality report
Promotion criteria clarified for professoriate
School of Medicine faculty and staff physician rank structure
SHC readies for madate requiring outcomes data on coronary bypass
Santa Clara County hospitals adopt uniform emergency codes
Dr. O retires after four decades of dedication
One-day SEIU strike passes; negotiations still under way
Instructions: Radiology Imaging Studies Available via Web
