Support Keck-USC Caregivers Fighting for Patient Care, Fair Wages

C. L. Max Nikias, President of USC; Thomas E. Jackiewicz, CEO of Keck Medicine of USC

Workers at the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital are fighting for better patient care and fair wages and benefits for caregivers.

Despite its wealth, USC is cutting Keck Hospital staffing levels, putting patients at risk, and paying many of its workers just 15 cents above minimum wage. Many Keck–USC caregivers are forced to rely on taxpayer-funded public assistance programs like food stamps and Medi-Cal. USC also denies them the retirement and tuition assistance benefits the university gives to all its other employees.
For a 90-second video about the impacts of Keck–USC’s poverty wages on caregivers and their families, see facebook.com/healthcareworkers or youtube.com/healthcareworkers. 
Tell the top executives at USC and Keck it’s time to put patients and workers ahead of profit. It’s time for Keck–USC to put an end to poverty wages at the university and time to start providing its healthcare workers with the means to improve their families’ economic security.
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Keck-USC Caregivers
Emeryville, California

To: C. L. Max Nikias, President of USC; Thomas E. Jackiewicz, CEO of Keck Medicine of USC
From: [Your Name]

The 900 healthcare workers whose dedication and skill help make USC’s Keck Hospital an elite medical facility deserve a living wage, affordable health insurance, and adequate retirement benefits.

USC’s refusal to treat these workers as full members of what it calls the “Trojan Family” demonstrates that the university does not value or respect their contribution.

Some workers must choose between health insurance and food for their families. Some workers are forced to rely on public assistance programs like food stamps and Medi-Cal. Some workers with years of service are paid less than new hires. Some workers are required to work even when ill, jeopardizing patient safety under threat of termination.

USC prides itself on being a good citizen in Southern California, yet full-time workers at its flagship medical facility live in poverty, leaving taxpayers to subsidize their food, shelter, and healthcare.

This is not a point of Trojan Pride.

Dr. Nikias and Mr. Jackiewicz, we urge you to provide Keck–USC caregivers with fair wages, affordable health insurance, and adequate retirement benefits.