California county to file complaint over alleged sickout at Ventura County Medical Center

Ventura County in California said it will file a complaint against Service Employees International Union Local 721 over an alleged sickout that forced two of its hospitals to cancel 20 elective surgeries, according to a Ventura County Star report.

Ventura (Calif.) County Medical Center, an integrated health system, and Santa Paula (Calif.) Hospital, a 49-bed campus of VCMC, canceled the elective surgeries, including orthopedic and urology procedures, in August after 11 employees called in sick.

The county alleges the action was a sickout, as all the SEIU-represented workers returned after one day, according to the report. The union denies the allegations.

Ventura County's board earlier this week authorized filing a complaint with the California Public Employment Relations Board against SEIU, reports Ventura County Star. A county representative told the publication the county will seek monetary damages and asserts the "work stoppage" is prohibited per the union contract.

A union representative said in a statement to the Ventura County Star, "Again, as we have made clear before, any action taken by the workers at VCMC was not sanctioned by SEIU Local 721. If any filing does occur, our legal team will review the allegations closely. At this time, SEIU Local 721 has complied with all of our obligations under the law."

 

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