Dozens of caregivers, support staff, and community members gathered outside HCA Florida Osceola Hospital in Kissimmee and HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital in Tamarac on Wednesday, picketing for safe staffing levels and higher wages as months of contract negotiations with HCA Healthcare dragged on. The informational pickets ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at both locations, part of a coordinated action spanning 19 HCA facilities statewide.
The demonstrations come as 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which is negotiating a new three-year contract with HCA Healthcare, pushes back against what workers describe as an inadequate offer. Elliot Buback, a patient transporter at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, said the current contract offer falls short and told WFTV that transparency between the company and workers is poor, adding that communication from the company during bargaining has been limited. Per the union, HCA has offered a 2.5% raise in the current round of talks, a figure workers say fails to keep pace with inflation or reflect the demands of their jobs.
Staffing and Pay Concerns Take Center Stage
Worker retention has become a growing concern at HCA facilities, and union representatives identified 401(k) policies and seniority caps as unresolved negotiation issues. Aneal Ahmed, a clinical pharmacist at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, said safe staffing is necessary for workers and patients in his community. Union leaders have argued that safe staffing and competitive wages are critical not just for employees but for patient safety and community health, and some HCA employees say they have struggled to afford basic living expenses on current pay.
Osceola’s HCA facility is a 404-bed acute care teaching hospital and Level II Trauma Center that operates in partnership with the UCF College of Medicine, serving surrounding communities including St. Cloud, Celebration, and Poinciana, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. In Broward County, HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital — previously known as University Hospital and Medical Center — is a 317-bed facility with specialized emergency, orthopedic, and spine care units that has served South Florida residents for more than 45 years.
An AI Scheduling Tool Becomes a Flashpoint
Beyond wages, the union has zeroed in on Timpani, HCA’s AI-driven scheduling system, which 1199SEIU says was co-developed with data analytics firm Palantir. In formal contract proposals submitted during negotiations that began in April, the union alleged the system caused unauthorized schedule changes, wage losses, and improper denial of paid time off, according to 1199SEIU…