OCEANSIDE: More Tri-City hospital workers unionize

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/04/11/news/coastal/oceanside/fd779d4a3a7bd1678825742700616258.txt

Technicians say they want a voice in decision-making

By PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer | Thursday, April 10, 2008 9:10 PM PDT ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- More than 500 workers ---- mostly medical technicians ---- at Tri-City Medical Center have joined the United Healthcare Workers union, increasing the percentage of the hospital's work force exercising its collective bargaining rights.

Doreen Sanderson, the hospital's vice president of human resources, confirmed that 60 percent, or about 300, of the 500 workers signed union cards, surpassing the 50 percent threshold needed to join the union. She said the hospital will meet with union representatives to begin a discussion on wages and benefits for the represented employees.

"I'm expecting the first contract to take about a year to negotiate," Sanderson said. "First contracts generally take longer than renewals."

Fega Segi, a certified nursing assistant at Tri-City, said she voted to unionize to obtain a "greater voice" in how the public hospital is run. Segi said she often finds herself responding to the needs of an entire floor of patients at once, a number that has increased over the nine years she has worked at Tri-City.

"Sometimes it's too many, and you are not always able to respond immediately when the patients call for help and stuff like that," Segi said.

The union will represent all advanced-care technicians, emergency medical technicians, dietary workers, operating room technicians and phlebotomists at Tri-City. Efforts are also under way to unionize 150 to 200 licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, radiography technicians and psychology technicians, according to union organizer Richard Barrera.

FULL story at link.