The employees, who will join Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, include certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, housekeepers, respiratory therapists and radiology technicians, according to the union.
“We voted to join the union because we want to provide the best patient care and have a stronger voice in making that happen,” Martha Alvarez, a patient care technician at EMC, said. “Being able to speak up with one voice about staffing and patient care means both the hospital and the community benefit.”
The vote comes about two weeks after EMC nurses voted to join California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.
In response to this week’s vote, the hospital, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, said EMC “respects this decision made by our employees, and will bargain in good faith with the SEIU-UHW to reach a collective bargaining agreement.”
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