MISSOULA — On Wednesday, workers at Providence St. Patrick Hospital voted overwhelmingly to unionize, 446 - 102.
Now, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is headed to the negotiating table.
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“I chose healthcare because I want to take care of people, and I want to be a part of the community, and I think this union is gonna let me do that more,” said Mishana Truitt, a surgical assistant at Providence St. Patrick Hospital.
Truitt says she worked with more than 680 employees, including certified nursing assistants, environmental services staff, emergency medicine technicians, radiology technologists, surgical techs and pharmacy techs, to get their union off the ground.
Erin Opie, a senior pharmacy assistant at Providence St. Patrick Hospital, says that she voted yes because of her working conditions.
“We had some issues with some short staffing, and what was sort of contingency plans, turned into our normal,” said Opie.
For workers like Opie, who now hopes to go back to pharmacy school, the unionization is not only for her and her coworkers, but also for those who come next.
“I may not be here in five years, but it was really important for me to be a part of this process so that the people that I work with and the people that are lifers that will be here can, of course, live here,” said Opie.
In a statement, Joann Hoven, regional communications specialist for Providence, said, “Providence supports caregivers’ (employees) right to choose whether to join a union and is committed to fostering a just workplace grounded in dignity, open dialogue and mutual respect. We believe the best outcomes for caregivers, patients, and communities are achieved through direct relationships and transparent communication, while recognizing that caregivers may choose third-party representation by a labor union. We respect those decisions and have a long history of working together with unions that caregivers have chosen to represent them.”
From here, the union plans to go to the negotiating table to ask for better pay so that workers at the hospital can stay in their community.
