MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Wednesday, September 15th, 2021 at 6:00am Pacific
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Edward Webster: (702) 755-4307, twebster@seiunv.org
Bethany Khan: (702) 387-7088, bkhan@culinaryunion226.org
SEIU Local 1107 & Culinary Union to host “Walk Out Wednesday” protest with Valley Hospital health care workers to demand a fair contract, union rights, and safe working conditions
Las Vegas, Nevada - Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Local 1107 and Culinary Workers Union Local 226 to host a “Walk Out Wednesday” protest with Valley Hospital frontline workers to demand Valley Hospitals’ Universal Health Services (UHS) management come to the table and bargain in good faith for a fair contract that dignifies and respects the sacrifices of all essential health care workers.
Regardless of position or title, every single Valley Hospital essential worker plays a critical role in protecting our community from the ravages of COVID-19 and the surging Delta variant. Whether union workers are providing meals to sick patients in the cafeteria, sanitizing intensive care unit rooms, or providing direct care to patients suffering from the virus - each health care worker is entitled to union representation, a fair contract, and safe working conditions.
Last year, UHS made $944 million in profits and made over half a billion dollars in profits in the first half of 2021. In the midst of a once-in-a-generation pandemic, UHS has chosen to put their bottom line before the health, welfare, dignity, and respect of all of their employees who are providing critical care to Nevadans suffering from COVID-19 across the Las Vegas Valley.
WHAT: SEIU 1107 and Culinary Union to hold #WalkOutWednesday protest with essential Valley Hospital health care workers to demand a fair contract, protection of union rights, and safe working conditions.
WHERE & WHEN:
Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, from 6:00am-8:00am Pacific
UHS Valley Hospital (620 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas Nevada 89106)
WHO:
SEIU Local 1107 health care workers
Tick Segerblom, Clark County Commissioner
Michelle Gorelow, Nevada State Assemblywoman
Cecelia Gonzalez, Nevada State Assemblywoman
BACKGROUND:
SEIU Local 1107: In 2016, Universal Health Services (UHS) Valley and Desert Springs Hospitals ran an illegal decertification campaign to remove SEIU 1107 as the primary representative of both hospital’s nurses and technicians. SEIU 1107 took UHS to court and was vindicated with a ruling that found UHS’s actions illegal and called on their CEO to publicly acknowledge their wrongdoing and return to the bargaining table in good faith to reach a contract with their employees that honors their sacrifice, protect their rights and ensures a safe work environment for all employees. In the midst of a once-in-a-hundred-year pandemic frontline healthcare workers at Valley & Desert Springs have been without a contract and fighting at the bargaining table for over a year to reach an agreement that provides them with the dignity and respect that they have earned.
Culinary Union: Valley Hospital and the Culinary Union have been in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for food service and housekeeping workers since the last agreement expired on December 31, 2016. In negotiations, Valley Hospital proposed cuts to wages, the elimination of the Culinary Union pension and health care benefits, along with gutting other key pieces of the Culinary Union’s contract. Valley Hospital continues to insist on these takeaway proposals even as workers have been on the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis, risking their lives everyday to keep the hospital clean, and patients and guests well fed. 77% of Culinary Union members who work at Valley Hospital have signed a petition to the company demanding a fair new contract that will continue to provide decent wages, job security, union health care, a union pension, and other rights they had for decades.
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ABOUT SEIU 1107: Working people united in SEIU Local 1107 support and champion economic and racial justice and are committed to throwing open the doors for every working person to have the opportunity to join a union, no matter where they work. SEIU Local 1107 represents 19,000 workers in the healthcare and public sector across the entire state. Together, SEIU Nevada Local 1107 members fight for better wages, benefits, social justice, and a better quality of life for all working Nevadans.
www.seiunv.org * facebook.com/SEIUNevada * @SEIU1107
2250 S. Rancho Drive, Suite 165 Las Vegas, NV 89102
ABOUT CULINARY UNION: Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and foodservice industries in North America. Culinary Union members work as Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting for working families in Nevada for 86 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226