Monterey County Health Department clinic employees rally as contract negotiations continue

Dozens of Monterey County healthcare workers took to the street to rally for a better contract amid negotiations with the county.

They say their current contracts make it hard to recruit and keep employees.

The workers are part of the SEIU (Service Employees International Union). They are calling for higher wages to help with the high cost of living in Monterey County and also help with healthcare.

Workers tell KION the county wants them to pick up the cost of healthcare benefits, “If we have to pick that up that’s another expense for us and we’re just gonna have to learn how to cut costs on food probably,” said Raul Huerta, who has worked for the coutny for 10 years. “I am one of those people that lives paycheck to paycheck and it’s really hard and we can do what we can do.”

Heurta brought his daughter to the rally today in hopes of the county seeing who the contract will be impacting. “This decision is going to affect our family. So they need to take a look at that. This is why we are here, this is our future right here.”

Another worker, Edin Donatu, says she’s worked for the county for 20 years and has only seen the union strike once because of contract negotiations. She says good benefits not only help current employees and patients, but help bring in new employees.

“One of our biggest challenges is to retain and recruit high-quality employees, in order to do that you do have to attract quality benefits. And I would like to see more offered to that high skilled employee out there,” said Donatu.

Yvette Carreon says above everything else, the service and value these healthcare workers bring to the community needs to be supported, “employees are the ones that go out there and meet with the families that have a need in the community, so I just want to stress that it’s important that this day and age that we support them because they work for the community, they work to make the community healthy and safe.”