ENLOE WORKERS ANNOUNCE STRIKE

 CHICO, Calif. – Service workers at Enloe Medical Center will hold a two-day strike later this month, after continued resistance by the hospital’s management to agree to industry-standard wages and other reasonable steps to improve patient care at the facility.

 Enloe caregivers represented by SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West have been negotiating a first contract with hospital management for more than a year. Although the sides have agreed on many issues, Enloe’s management has stubbornly refused to consider the workers’ proposals for fair wages, subcontracting protections, staffing committees, and union rights.

 “We’ve made proposals to improve care at Enloe and help lift workers out of poverty, but management doesn’t appear to care,” said Bev Erickson, a sterile processing technician at the hospital. “We don’t want to go on strike, but we will if that’s what it takes to make sure our patients receive the highest possible level of care.”

 Enloe workers will hold a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 5, to discuss the reasons for the impending strike, which is currently scheduled for Aug. 12-13.