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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Union, HCA Agree to New Pact

The owner of West Hills Hospital and Medical Center and Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks and workers have agreed to a new contract after 15 days of negotiations. The agreement hashed out between SEIU United Healthcare Workers West and Hospital Corp. of America changes staffing levels and allows union members the right to strike mid-contract over staffing issues, lay-offs and call-off disputes. The contract also bans subcontracting of some positions and bans mandatory overtime. It also returns 10 West Hills nursing assistants laid off during the strike to return to work. Nearly 1,000 healthcare workers including nursing assistants, surgical technicians, and housekeepers have been without a contract since it expired June 30. Negotiations have been ongoing since April. The union charged that Tennessee-based HCA, which has 276 medical centers and is the largest hospital chain in the nation, severely understaffed its hospitals and eliminated key support positions to save money, forcing staff to log long hours and rush to care for patients. Workers in July authorized a strike, although it never occurred. Union members at West Hills are scheduled to vote on the new contract Sept. 13; Sept. 14 for Los Robles.

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