Caregivers at Sun Valley clinic protest 'bad faith bargaining'

Caregivers at a Sun Valley medical clinic staged a one-day strike Monday to protest what the workers union called bad-faith bargaining by management.

About 50 caregivers picketed early Monday outside the Serra Community Medical Clinic, said Adriana Surfas, a spokeswoman for SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West, which represents medical assistants, X-ray technicians and others at the clinic.

The privately run clinic is a major healthcare provider in Sun Valley, servicing some 500 people a day, including many low-income patients, clinic officials say. Caregivers at Serra have been without a contract since February. 

The union accuses management of seeking “regressive” measures, including a wage rollback and a shift of healthcare costs from the employer to workers.

Dan Bumgarner, the clinic administrator, denied any bad-faith bargaining and said he hoped the matter would be resolved soon.

“We’re looking forward to a positive outcome,” Bumgarner said. “We’ve typically had good relations with our employees and our community. It’s unfortunate that they’ve decided to take this approach, but we’re confident we’ll reach a solution.”

-- Patrick J. McDonnell