Scores of hospital workers voted Wednesday to protest what they
call a
”
gutted
”
and
”
disappointing
”
contract proposal handed down by Saint Louise Regional Hospital
administration.
video interview with two employees at the strike.
Scores of hospital workers voted Wednesday to protest what they call a “gutted” and “disappointing” contract proposal handed down by Saint Louise Regional Hospital administration.
The 160 strong United Healthcare Workers Union at Saint Louise – a hospital run by the Daughters of Charity – includes a diverse group of caregivers, from certified nursing assistants and lab technicians to food service workers and hospital clerks. Union employees earn anywhere from $15 per hour to $36 per hour, said John Borsos, vice president of UHW. Registered nurses are not a part of this union.
The employees’ contract expired April 30 and the union has been bargaining with the hospital since March, advocating for increased union rights, a stronger voice in quality care, increased job security, increased opportunities for training and fair wage increases, among others. When the union presented their proposals to the hospital in March, Saint Louise countered with its own proposition, one that “would set our collective bargaining relationship back 20 years,” Borsos said.
“We presented a packet of our dreams,” said Susan Reddell, chief steward for UHW at Saint Louise and a registered respiratory therapist. “Rather than respond, (the hospital) came back with their own packet that takes away a lot of our rights.”
The union claims that the hospital’s proposal makes it easier for the hospital to lay off employees, cancel shifts with little notice, increase workload, change schedules and eliminate some of the union worker’s rights, according to an informational handout they distributed near the ballot box.
“Basically, it gives them the right to do anything they want,” said Ernest Gonzales, a union steward at Saint Louise elected by his colleagues to represent them. “We are the ones working with the patients, unlike the administration who doesn’t.”
Saint Louise’s Chief Executive Officer Joanne Allen said she was not directly involved in the bargaining discussions and declined to comment on the specifics of the negotiations until they are finalized but said that she was under the impression that they were moving in the right direction.
“They have every right to picket,” she said. “I’m interested in resolving the negotiations without a strike … it’s upsetting to patients.”
Vice President of Patient Care Lois Owens has been at the table for the discussions and looks forward to developing a contract “that’s fair and equitable for all,” she said. Another round of negotiations is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday and Owens is hoping to resolve the terms of the contract soon.
“It’s not ‘them’ and ‘us.’ It’s ‘we,’ ” she said. “We’re hoping to come together and get on with our prior excellent care to the community.”
But the union believes that the “excellent care” is in jeopardy pending the hospital’s proposal.
For example, written into the contract that just expired was a clause calling for a third party arbitrator to step in should the hospital and the union enter a dispute. The hospital’s latest proposal revokes that right and reduces the opportunity for caregivers to have a say in their patients’ medical attention, Borsos said.
“This is a serious concern for patients,” he said. “Since the first contract was negotiated, caregivers have a big say in how the hospital is staffed. The disappointing part of the Daughters of Charity proposal is that we’ve already won that fight.”
Of the 160 union members at Saint Louise, 99 voted to move forward with the picket. Only one dissenting ballot was cast, Gonzales verified. The union is obligated to notify the hospital 10 days before any picket. They plan to hold one soon, Gonzales said. Union members plan to picket on their day off and during lunch as not to interfere with their work day, he said.
This isn’t the first time this union has had to picket at Saint Louise. Workers struck in 2001 and threatened to again in 2004. Just hours before the workers began a one day strike, the hospital agreed upon a four year contract that increased wages and gave workers more say in staffing.
Like Owens and Allen, Reddell hopes to come to a solution.
“Let’s work this through,” she said. “We have suggestions. We work with the patients on the nitty gritty details … we give everything we have to them. We’re committed to making this a better place.”
