The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has made hospital strikes a key part of its negotiating strategy, regularly holding hospitals hostage – and putting countless lives at risk – until the union’s demands are met.

In just one example, SEIU members in the union’s Minnesota and Iowa Healthcare local authorized a strike against a group of hospitals in May of this year, with 98% of the union’s members voting yes. 

The hospital group released a statement in response, detailing its concerns:

“We are seeing unions become increasingly comfortable withholding care through strikes to achieve their agenda, despite the significant risk to the community. This trend is concerning, especially when the stakes for care to our patients are extremely high. Strikes don’t benefit anyone and divert our limited charitable resources away from our mission to serve our community.”

Not willing to risk the lives of patients, the hospital group eventually conceded to the union’s demands, averting the strike. 

SEIU activists don’t seem to have many qualms when it comes to exploiting the health and wellness of community members to get their way. At a 2021 strike at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, one SEIU member gave a revealing statement that indicates how the union sees hospital patients.  

“Everyone provides their portion of care for these patients. In order to obtain the proper quality care, you will need us members back inside the building.”

In other words, union leaders were aware of how their actions risked the health and safety of patients and they went on strike anyway, putting the “proper quality care” of patients at risk.