Approximately 1,500 nonclinical employees at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and its affiliated facilities have voted to unionize and affiliate with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West after a National Labor Relations Board-supervised election.  

The tally showed 1,110 ballots cast, with 564 in favor of union representation and 546 opposed. The group represented in the vote includes environmental services attendants, patient care assistants, medical assistants, patient access staff, food service employees, and medical interpreters.  

Workers cited goals such as improving patient care, staffing, and job conditions as reasons for organizing. SEIU-UHW already represents more than 120,000 healthcare workers across California. Since 2023, roughly 8,500 healthcare workers in the San Diego area have joined the union, including employees at other local healthcare organizations.  

Rady Children’s acknowledged the vote results but noted the outcome is not official until the NLRB completes the certification process and addresses any objections. The hospital is a 511-bed pediatric care facility serving the region.