EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Healthcare workers in El Paso joined a coordinated national day of action on Wednesday, protesting and calling for higher pay, safer staffing, and changes they say would put patient care ahead of profits at HCA hospitals.
The Service Employees International Union of Texas, a labor union, said El Paso healthcare workers gathered to protest outside Las Palmas Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, as the protest is part of a nationwide effort involving healthcare workers at dozens of hospitals who are demanding fair contracts, safer staffing and an end to what organizers describe as profit-driven, top-down decisions that harm workers and patients.
The coordinated day of action comes as contract negotiations open between HCA, described as the country’s largest for-profit healthcare system, and more than 22,000 healthcare workers represented by the SEIU.
According to SEIU Texas, workers are urging HCA to prioritize patient care by investing in frontline staff who provide essential services every day.
SEIU Texas said HCA Healthcare’s profits rose to $6.8 billion in 2025, but workers argue the company has not invested enough in frontline staffing, which they say undermines the ability to provide quality patient care across the system.
The union also noted that HCA CEO Sam Hazen received more than $26 million in total compensation in 2025, while many frontline employees report wages that have not kept pace with the cost of living. In El Paso, Del Sol and Las Palmas workers make as little as $13.50 an hour, according to the union.
Workers’ demands include a minimum wage of $25 an hour for all HCA employees, wage scales and increases that reward experience and longevity, and annual wage increases that match the cost of living.
They are also calling for safe, acuity-based staffing standards informed by frontline workers, along with work-life balance protections such as guaranteed paid vacation, sick days and holidays. Additional demands include protections for union and workers’ rights, including access for union representatives, on-site union meetings and paid orientation time for new employees, as well as preserving the right to bargain over proposed changes during the contract term.
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