The Beat — Issue 2, April 2025

Recently Won Through Collective Action

Workers at Providence Hospital won a 20% to 42% raise. After going on strike for more than 40 days, nurses in Newburg, Oregon (a town where the average home is cheaper than Salt Lake City) will make a starting pay of $105,300, or $54 an hour. This is up from $80,000 ($41 per hour) a year prior to striking.

According to the American Hospital Directory, the University of Utah makes 38% more revenue per patient discharge, and 16% more revenue per patient day than Providence Newberg! The hospital can afford to pay you more!

Events

The following are activities that your coworkers are participating in and helping organize.

• May 3rd — International Worker’s Day picnic
• Labor Choir — Will be performing at may day. Practices generally take place Saturday afternoons.
• Organizer Trainings

Sign up and reach out to [email protected] learn more!

How We (YOU!) Can Secure Better Pay, Staffing, and Conditions for Us and Our Patients

Who Can Grant Demands for Better Wages, Staffing, etc?

• The Hospital: The hospital possesses the financial resources to meet worker demands.
• Dan and the Executive Team: They make the decisions regarding pay, staffing ratios, and other operational conditions.

How You Can Achieve This

• Following Precedent: Just like healthcare workers in other cities, you must:
  • Organize: Build a solid, unified front spanning the whole hospital system.
  • Declare Your Demands: Make your expectations clear to management.
  • Withhold Labor if Necessary: If your demands are ignored after using strategies like petitions, education, slowdowns, sick outs, etc., you can strike.
  • To succeed, at least 70% of the staff must be on board and coordinating. This is not just feasible, it's a common occurrence even in states known for being anti-union!
• Building Your Structure: You must organize within your department/unit, testing your organizational readiness through various activities like wearing pins, signing petitions, etc. You don’t start right with the most difficult and aggressive actions, you build toward them

Considerations for Patient Care During a Strike

• Emergency Coverage: Numerous travel nurse agencies can cover urgent needs, albeit at a high cost. This will cost the hospital a lot of money, incentivizing negotiations.
• Non-Emergency Care: During any strike, this is often redirected to other facilities. We will provide ample notice to ensure the hospital can either meet demands or prepare for your absence. This will cost the hospital a lot of business, similarly incentivizing them to answer demands.
• Demonstrating your readiness to strike can often lead to resolutions without the need for actual strikes.

Your Participation is Essential

Every improvement begins with demanding what you deserve. You can be that person, pushing for better conditions. Here’s what you should do now to help advance this effort;

• Join Utah Health Workers United: Membership has already grown into the hundreds, but we need thousands. Dues begin at 1% of your income, with a minimum of $10.
• Form or Join an Organizing Committee: These committees are department/unit level organizations that allow workers at this hospital to:
  • Communicate: Ensuring every worker's voice is heard within their unit or department, and including every worker in collective actions.
  • Coordinate at scale: Selecting a delegate to liaise with the union-wide committee for coordinated actions, and connect workers all over the hospital to unite and take action.
  • Take immediate action: Pressuring direct management to address and resolve issues directly affecting their unit’s workers and patients.