October 20 should have been our first bargaining meeting with Stanford, but we’re still waiting for them to come to the table. We requested this date weeks ago, but they have refused to have evening meetings with our full bargaining committee. Stanford has instead insisted on 9 AM meetings with limited representation, in efforts to delay meaningful progress. While we push forward, we are going to need your support every step of the way.
If you support your bargaining team and want a strong contract, sign your membership card now! Got questions? Check out the FAQ or ask any of your organizing team.
Wait, didn’t I already sign a card?
- The membership card is different from the union authorization card you may have signed in winter of 2021-2022 before the election. ~ 1000 housestaff signed union authorization cards to signal to Stanford and the NLRB that we wanted union representation, and that’s what led to our election. Now that we are unionized, you have to sign this card to actually become a member!
Nearly 50 people turned out to the coffee event on Oct 7 to support our bargaining team, and many more have signed up on membership cards to strengthen our numbers!
As bargaining ramps up, be prepared to hear the same union-busting talking points that you heard pre-election! SHC tried these tactics for our election, and they’re going to try even harder for our contract.
Overheard in Management: “the union can lead to a worse contract with loss of benefits!”
✨FAQ: Could we really end up with less?
✨FAQ: What have other unions won?
Other news
What does hiring Jones Day say about Stanford’s priorities? – Did you know that Jones Day is the law firm that Stanford hired to union-bust us during our election? 🙃 A new book provides a deep dive on the firm whose clients include, among Stanford Health Care and Donald Trump, “Big Tobacco (R.J. Reynolds), opioid makers and dispensers (Purdue Pharma and Walmart pharmacies), gun manufacturers (Smith & Wesson), and the mighty gun lobby (National Rifle Association).”
Santa Clara Valley attending physicians’ union vote to authorize strike – Santa Clara Valley residents are unionized through CIR, but did you know that Valley attending physicians are also independently unionized? Valley Physicians Group (@VPGphysicians), which represents nearly 500 physicians, has been fighting for a fair contract that increases resources for their patients, opposes plans to pressure physicians to see additional patients per hour, and improves working conditions for their overworked and understaffed physicians. After two years of stalled negotiations with Santa Clara County and escalating public actions, last week their members voted to authorize a strike with 92% of members voting and 93% in approval, and this week (October 19) VPG provided a notice of their intent to strike!.
FAQ: What’s a strike authorization vote?
- A strike authorization vote signals that the members are willing to strike and authorizes the union to call for a strike. Many strikes are averted after authorization, as this forces management to take the union’s demands seriously (see: LA county residents, UCSF CHO residents). Physician strikes are exceedingly rare, but are a measure of last resort if the employer is bargaining in bad faith or committing other unfair labor practices. In private-sector hospitals, workers provide 10 days’ notice (under Section 8(g) of the National Labor Relations Act) of any intent to strike, which allows management to make arrangements to continue patient care in the event of a strike.