Union workers at HCA Healthcare, the largest for-profit hospital system and operator in the United States, are staging picket protests nationwide on August 11, 2026, as contract negotiations continue. The 22,000 US employees represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are pushing for higher wages, better staffing levels, and enhanced benefits.

HCA Healthcare, which employs over 300,000 people across the US and the UK, reported $6.8 billion in profits for 2025, marking a 17.8% increase from the previous year. Despite these gains, workers say they struggle to make ends meet. Esther Reyes, an environmental services technician at the HCA-owned Las Palmas hospital in El Paso, Texas, and a single mother of three, earns $16.80 an hour and described the difficulty of covering basic expenses: “Sometimes I need to decide, maybe this month I pay the water bill, then another pay for gas, but most of the time I’m not able to pay for everything.”

The union demands include a pathway to a $25 hourly minimum wage, wage scales and raises that keep pace with the cost of living, paid vacation, sick leave, and stronger workplace protections. Jody Domineck, a pediatric nurse with over 20 years at HCA Sunrise hospital in Las Vegas and secretary-treasurer of SEIU Local 1107, emphasized the disconnect between profits and worker compensation: “Meanwhile, the people doing the work are not being compensated appropriately. Our work is how they’re making billions.” She also highlighted patient safety concerns linked to staffing shortages, citing studies that show higher patient loads increase risks.

HCA and its Sunrise Health System division responded by affirming their commitment to fair negotiations and respect for peaceful demonstrations, while disputing claims that the protests reflect patient safety issues.

Protests are planned at more than a dozen HCA hospitals in states including California, Texas, Nevada, and Florida.

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