[February 22, 2013]

Registered Nurses, LVNs, technologists and Other Healthcare Workers at College Hospital Cerritos Vote to Join SEIU to Improve Safety, Care and Healthcare Jobs

Close to 300 healthcare workers seeking to improve staffing and patient care at College Hospital in Cerritos have overwhelmingly voted to form a union with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in elections that concluded this week.

More than 230 service and technical workers at College Hospital kicked off President's Day weekend by voting to join Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers - West (SEIU-UHW) on Friday, February 15. The final vote was 143 for SEIU-UHW, 76 for no union.

Building on the momentum, 48 registered nurses at the Cerritos hospital voted to join the Service Employees International Union, Local 121RN by a 27 to 10.

"These past few weeks were a test for all of us. We did what we felt was right for staff and the patients," said Alejandra Quiñonez, a licensed vocational nurse at the Cerrits hospital. "Now we can move forward and build a better hospital. This was a victory for everyone."

College Hospital's Cerritos campus is a 157 bed psychiatric facility that serves youth, adult and seniors with development disabilities and mental health conditions. Caregivers plan to work together in SEIU-UHW to make key improvements to care and safety.

In the coming weeks, caregivers at College Hospital will prepare to negotiate their respective new contracts. Top priorities include improvements to patient care, safety and job security.

With their vote to join SEIU, caregivers at College Hospital in Cerritos now unite with 150,000 SEIU-UHW members working for better health, quality care and good jobs through the union's "Let's Get Healthy California" initiative, launched last year. The initiative is the centerpiece of a commitment by SEIU-UHW members to help workers and people in their communities get healthier to lower healthcare costs and improve their quality of life.

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.

Source (News - Alert): SEIU-UHW

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