San Francisco medical workers rally against outsourcing
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Over 500 healthcare workers in San Francisco braced the streets to rally against contractual outsourcing, noting that the city should open permanent jobs for its own residents.
“We need to stop bringing people in on short-term contracts that take our money home and spend it in their communities,” said Heather Bollinger, a nurse at San Francisco General and president of the SEIU 1021 nurses’ chapter, per Mission Local.
“It’s time for the city of San Francisco to invest in the people who have proven that they will stay.”
According to a civil grand jury report, San Francisco had a 13.7% vacancy rate (4,793 vacancies) for all permanent city jobs in 2023.
As of October 2023, there were over 600 vacancies in the Department of Public Health, the highest tally in any department. The number of temporary workers doubled between 2020 and 2023, from 250 to over 500.
“You see the patient, you know their diagnosis, you know what’s necessary. They know your face, they come back,” said Theresa Rutherford, president of SEIU 1021.
“We’re not able to do that if we’re short-staffed or if we are hiring temporary people who are here today, gone tomorrow.”
Rallyists, who held picket signs that read “Fix Our City, Protect Public Services” in front of the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, claim that the city spends $5.2 billion each year on contracts – the majority of which are awarded to contractors based outside of San Francisco.
At least 1 in 10 contract requests are due to a lack of staff. Patient care has suffered amid the staffing crisis, as they have to wait over six hours to be tended to. Meanwhile, nurses work 12 to 16-hour shifts with no time for meal or rest breaks, according to the rallyists.
