Technicians at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., joined Local 170 following an election in which more than 75 percent of voting workers cast ballots in favor of the Teamsters. There are more than 200 technicians in the bargaining unit.

“It’s been a lot of work to get to this victory, but everyone feels really great because we stayed united and focused on our goal—and we had a lot of support from the nurses,” said Jennifer Fontaine, a surgical technologist and leader in the organizing effort. “We’ve been trying to make our voices heard since last year. They didn’t believe we had a majority on our side and refused to recognize us even after a majority of us signed union cards. But now we feel vindicated.”

The technicians who work in radiology, operating room, respiratory, sterile processing and other departments sought Teamster representation in an effort to win better health care benefits, safer staffing levels and respect from hospital management.

“This is a great committee of workers who held strong throughout the organizing drive,” said Teamsters Local 170 organizer Paul Stuart. “These folks worked tirelessly and were very dedicated to the goal of winning representation. It’s been an honor to work with such a strong committee of workers.”

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