Media statement in response to NUHW's press release

The informational picket which the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) is holding on February 12 relates to our ongoing contract negotiations with the union. Our bargaining teams for each contract have been at the table with NUHW for the past several months, working in good faith to negotiate a contract that is fair and addresses the needs of represented caregivers at each hospital.

It is important to know that informational pickets are not strikes, but they are a way for unions to inform and develop public support for their position. We acknowledge the rights of our caregivers to be part of a union and to engage in this action. It is also important to note that it is the union, not our caregivers, this is staging this event. The union represents approximately 2,000 caregivers across Northern California, but we expect that a much smaller percent of those caregivers will participate in the informational pickets.

The informational picketing will not affect the safe, high-quality care we provide to our patients. We are maintaining our hospital services so we do not compromise our ability to care for the patients who are counting on us.

The Providence Mission calls us to care for all. This includes our caregivers. We remain profoundly grateful to our caregivers for their patience and for all they do to serve patients in need. We are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to resolve the remaining outstanding contract issues as quickly as possible, including making sure each contract supports market-competitive wages. We have just begun the process of talking about economic terms and we look forward to continuing this process at the negotiating tables.