Across the East Bay, La Clinica workers offer culturally appropriate healthcare services to diverse and underserved populations. The vital work they do helps thousands of people every week in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Counties. Unfortunately, La Clinica is badly understaffed, and workers there are falling far behind the cost of living in this region. 

Nearly half the SEIU 1021 members at La Clinica make below the living wage for single adults in Alameda County, and 72% of them make less than the county’s living wage for families with two children. Meanwhile, the CEO and CMO each take home salaries of more than a quarter-million dollars every year.

The members have rallied repeatedly across their worksites in recent weeks, speaking with one voice to say that management must staff them adequately, so they can serve the community that depends on them. Norma Ruiz, a nurse practitioner who has been with La Clinica for five and a half years, said, “Our vision is to provide quality healthcare and keep our community healthy and thriving. But we are not able meet our vision because there’s a huge issue of burnout. We can’t recruit new people and we can’t keep our current staff due to low salaries and a stressful environment, due to always working understaffed.”

“I am standing with my coworkers to demand La Clinica address the growing burnout rate in the agency and improve recruitment and retention of its workforce to keep our doors open to the patients.”

Currently, members are speaking up to commit to a strike to ensure that their patients get the care they need from workers who can live healthy lives and afford to live in the communities they serve. As Norma Ruiz said, ”I was a patient at La Clinica. I’m very rooted here, because it was the place my parents and I could access care as new immigrants. Serving the same population I’m coming from is an honor.” But that honor doesn’t make up for poverty wages, high stress, and understaffing.