Housekeepers Strike at West Virginia Hospital

Environmental services (EVS) staff are among the almost 1,000 service and maintenance workers at a West Virginia hospital who went on strike yesterday, WCHS-TV reports. The workers, who are represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU), have been unsuccessful in contract negotiations with Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia.

The workers are seeking health care coverage, wage increases, and improved staff safety measures. In addition to housekeepers, striking staff include laundry workers, boiler room operators, nurses, lab workers, x-ray technicians, and other health care technicians.

A hospital spokesperson said the hospital will be giving daily updates on the impact the strike will have on its operations and health care in the region. In the meantime, they are diverting patients to other hospitals and canceling elective surgeries.

There are currently no future dates for negotiations.