Service and Maintenance Workers at PeaceHealth Southwest Affiliate with the AFT

VANCOUVER, Wash.—Service and maintenance workers at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers, which now represents 3,000 workers at the hospital. 

Service and maintenance workers voted 319-110 to affiliate with the AFT. The new unit will represent more than 900 workers. Earlier this year, tech workers at PHSW affiliated with the AFT. Nurses at the hospital are members of the Washington State Nurses Association, which is also a part of the AFT family. 

Sandi Rogers, who works in patient team support, said: “I’m so happy that we have a voice in AFT! We can look to the future and help make our hospital a better place to work now that we have the tools, time and resources to ensure quality care at the hospital.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “I’m thrilled to welcome the service and maintenance workers at PeaceHealth Southwest into the AFT family. The union is a vehicle for these workers to help their patients and themselves—to ensure the patients they serve receive the care they need, and to fight for the wages and fair treatment on the job that every worker at PeaceHealth deserves. The AFT continues to grow as a healthcare union and is committed, particularly in this new national environment, to fighting for dignity and respect for all healthcare workers and ensuring that patients are put before profits.”