Officials from St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Calif., called the police on unionized employees Sept. 17 as they sought to speak to CEO Roberta Luskin-Hawk, MD, according to a report from the Eureka Times-Standard.
National United Healthcare Workers union organizer Renee Saucedo said about a dozen employees from Fortuna, Calif., traveled to the hospital's administration building after negotiation talks broke down. She said the employees wanted to talk to Dr. Luskin-Hawk, but found the building locked.
Fortuna police responded to a complaint from hospital officials that employees refused to leave the property, according to the report.
Ms. Saucedo said police threatened to arrest workers if they didn't leave, according to the report. Fortuna police spokesperson Enoch Ibarra told the Times-Standard the officers "made it clear they didn't want to arrest anybody." No arrests were made, according to the report.
St. Joseph Hospital told the Times-Standard in a statement: "Law enforcement was called only after a small group disrupted a meeting and refused to leave hospital grounds. Our ministry is centered on patient care and we cannot permit disruption of hospital operations."
Read the full story here.
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