Dialysis Caregivers at Fresenius and Satellite: Unfair Labor Practice Strike at clinics in US
Sep 26, 2023
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99% of workers voted in favor of an unfair labor practice strike as Fresenius Kidney Care and Satellite Healthcare refused to bargain in good faith. With information from SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW)
More than 500 dialysis caregivers will strike over unfair labor practices on September 25 and 26 at nearly two dozen Satellite Healthcare and Fresenius Kidney Care clinics across California.
The registered nurses, patient care technicians, social workers, hemodialysis technicians, and other caregivers who provide weekly dialysis treatments say management is putting staff and patients at risk to increase profits while violating their rights.
“We spend more time with our patients and coworkers than our own families, and they know we are chronically understaffed and underpaid,” said Manny Gonzalez, a Certified Hemodialysis Technician at Fresenius Kidney Care Juniper Fontana. “Fresenius is trying to keep us silent because they’re afraid of us standing together, and they know that our patients are supporting us in this fight.”
In response to caregivers’ attempts to improve safety, management from both corporations has violated United States labor law by threatening and intimidating caregivers, firing workers for trying to form a union and speaking out to improve patient care, making unilateral changes to working conditions without negotiating, and failing to bargain in good faith in contract negotiations.
Fresenius Medical Care made nearly $710 million in profits and paid its CEO approximately $5 million in compensation in 2022. Satellite Healthcare made $16.7 million in profits and paid its CEO $1.5 million in compensation in 2021. In contrast, many dialysis caregivers make as little as $17 an hour and routinely hold two or more jobs to make ends meet.
The strike applies to more than 500 dialysis caregivers at Fresenius and Satellite Healthcare clinics 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.
This is just the beginning of strikes for dialysis workers in California. Even more Registered Nurses, technicians, and schedulers who work for Fresenius Medical Care and perform dialysis inpatient care at Sharp HealthCare hospitals, Scripps Health hospitals, and Tri-City Medical Center in the San Diego area, have planned an unfair labor practice strike for October 2 and 3. Dialysis caregivers are joined by nearly 100,000 other healthcare workers also voting to authorize strikes across healthcare corporations in California this fall.
ALL 21 LOCATIONS:
Fresenius Kidney Care | 570 N 2nd Street |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 2391 Boswell Rd |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 2252 Versus Street |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 720 Gateway Center Dr. Suite B |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 3801 Las Posas Rd Suite 103 |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 1809 W Chapman Ave |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 10557 Juniper Ave Suite A |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 16423 Sierra Lakes Pkwy |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 3470 La Sierra Ave Suite E |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 1449 W Redlands Blvd |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 8139 Elk Grove Blvd Suite 200 |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 4510 Ohara Ave Suite B |
Fresenius Kidney Care | 2386 Buchanan Rd |
Satellite Healthcare | 210 Blue Ravine Road, Suite 100 |
Satellite Healthcare | 1450 Kooser Road |
Satellite Healthcare | 8095 Camino Arroyo St., Suite 100 Gilroy, CA 95020 |
Satellite Healthcare | 1860 Milmont Drive |
Satellite Healthcare | 16060 Caputo Drive, Suite 140 |
Satellite Healthcare | 6265 Commerce Blvd., Suite 156 |
Satellite Healthcare | 1700 California Street, Suite 260 |
Satellite Healthcare | 4300 Sonoma Boulevard, Suite 25 Vallejo, CA 94589 |
It’s time to show our support again for these healthcare heroes! Make sure to like and share SEIU-UHW posts and use the Hashtags #ULPstrike #united4all #fixdialysis #solidarityseason
https://www.facebook.com/unitedhealthcareworkers
https://www.instagram.com/seiuuhw/?hl=de
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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.