SANTA CRUZ -- On Wednesday, Sutter Health workers picketed outside the Santa Cruz center at Soquel Avenue and Capitola Road. The physician associates, optometrists, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives, all part of a group known as advanced practice clinicians, advocated for a fair union contract, as their old contract expired in April. The group is represented by Engineers and Scientists of California, or IFPTE Local 20.
The picket was loud and well-attended. Over 30 workers, many with babies or young children in tow, carried signs that said "Fair contract now" or "Fair pay for those who care 4 you." Many rang bells or shouted slogans into megaphones while a drummer kept the beat for marchers. Cars rolling through the busy intersection honked their support to the healthcare workers, many of whom wore their scrubs or lab coats.
"I certainly never envisioned myself at this point in my career, or any point in my career, walking a picket line for healthcare," said Scott Merlo, a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery. He's worked at Sutter in Santa Cruz for 33 years. "It's very, very discouraging that we have to be here."
Merlo and physician assistant Deborah Smallwood worked together to negotiate the group's original contract. They said it took five years to arrive at the initial agreement, and that Sutter only started seriously negotiating once the team had a petition and picket plan. This time, Merlo said, Sutter didn't come to the negotiation table until a week before the contract was set to expire, and it was left to the workers and the union to come up with a new contract. The group presented the contract to Sutter in June, said Smallwood in a statement from the union, and the two parties still haven't come to a final agreement.
The healthcare workers are asking for cost of living adjustments and shift differentials -- increased pay for working holidays, weekends or night shifts -- which is the industry standard, Smallwood said. In fact, all other Sutter employees, including physicians, nurses, janitorial workers and receptionists receive standard differential pay for those shifts, according to the union's statement.
"They've singled us out," said Smallwood, who has been at Sutter for 15 out of the 36 years she's been practicing. "For eight years we've been without additional funding for helping to keep their doors open. We don't think that's ethical."
The group is also asking for protections around subcontracting and the potential use of AI, according to the union's statement.
The workers and the union expected this slow pace on Sutter's end, both because of past negotiations and other factors, said Grant Hill, a senior union representative for Engineers and Scientists of California. Staff cuts at the National Labor Relations Board could be slowing progress at the federal level, Hill noted, and a perceived lack of union allies in the government could embolden employers to fight unions.
"We are disappointed by ESC Local 20's decision to prioritize public demonstrations over engaging in constructive dialogue," a Sutter Health spokesperson wrote in a statement. "Sutter Health is focused on reaching a fair and equitable agreement through good-faith negotiations at the bargaining table, and we believe that isn't achieved through unproductive picketing. "
Sutter also noted that they "respect the right to demonstrate," and that the picket will not impact patient care as the Santa Cruz clinic remains fully operational.
Merlo and Smallwood hope that the picket encourages Sutter to speed up negotiations and agree to their contract.
"The last thing a professional person wants to do is picket. We would rather be in there taking care of patients and being paid fairly," Smallwood said. "But here we are, because they pushed us to this point."