Hundreds of Dialysis Caregivers to Picket Across California Over Staffing, Safety, Patient Care Problems
Jul 24, 2024 09:15AM ● By SEIU-UHW News Release
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Less than a year after the first strike at dialysis clinics in U.S. history, hundreds of caregivers at Fresenius Kidney Care, Satellite Healthcare, and U.S. Renal will be picketing throughout July and August starting on July 24. The informational pickets will take place at various locations, including Fresenius Elk Grove. Workers say they need to bring attention to dangerous conditions and bad faith bargaining that put patients in these clinics at increased risk for disruptions in their dialysis care.
“We’re standing up to say we’ve had enough,” said Alice Islip, a Patient Care Technician at Fresenius Gateway. “We aren’t going to allow these greedy corporations to profit while our patients and coworkers are put at risk. Every time we’re forced to shorten a patient's treatment due to understaffing, we’re shortening that patient’s lifespan, and our employers know it. This has to stop.”
“Our patients put their trust in us every time they receive this life-saving treatment because they can lose consciousness, have a seizure, or bleed out and die in a matter of minutes if we don’t have the staffing levels, we need to monitor our patients and respond immediately to emergencies. You are making millions every year while neglecting your responsibility to these patients who are especially vulnerable to understaffing,” reads a recent letter from more than 400 dialysis workers to corporate executives.
Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) represents more than 700 dialysis caregivers at Fresenius, Satellite Healthcare and U.S. Renal 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.
Primary picket locations and times include:
July 24 & 25
“We’re standing up to say we’ve had enough,” said Alice Islip, a Patient Care Technician at Fresenius Gateway. “We aren’t going to allow these greedy corporations to profit while our patients and coworkers are put at risk. Every time we’re forced to shorten a patient's treatment due to understaffing, we’re shortening that patient’s lifespan, and our employers know it. This has to stop.”
Chronic short-staffing in dialysis care has allowed dialysis corporations to make huge profits as patients’ quality of care continues to decline because there isn’t enough staff to care for them. In 2023, the industry made more than $1.4 billion in combined profits.
“Our patients put their trust in us every time they receive this life-saving treatment because they can lose consciousness, have a seizure, or bleed out and die in a matter of minutes if we don’t have the staffing levels, we need to monitor our patients and respond immediately to emergencies. You are making millions every year while neglecting your responsibility to these patients who are especially vulnerable to understaffing,” reads a recent letter from more than 400 dialysis workers to corporate executives.
Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) represents more than 700 dialysis caregivers at Fresenius, Satellite Healthcare and U.S. Renal 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.
Primary picket locations and times include:
July 24 & 25
Satellite Blossom Valley - San Jose
1450 Kooser Rd, San Jose, 95118
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Fresenius Elk Grove - Sacramento
8139 Elk Grove Blvd, Suite 200, Elk Grove 95758
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Fresenius Riverside
3470 La Sierra Avenue Suite E, Riverside, 92503
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
July 24 only
Fresenius East County - San Diego
570 North 2nd Street, El Cajon, 92021
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
For the full list of locations, visit: https://www.seiu-uhw.org/dialysisprotest2024/
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.
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.
