Grand Haven well being care staff to administration: ‘Spend money on us!’

After a 24-hour strike on Friday, Service Workers Worldwide Union (SEIU) staff and Trinity Grand Haven Hospital well being officers on Monday are at a stalemate centered on wages. Employees returned to their jobs on Saturday and are calling for administration to return to the bargaining desk.

SEIU Healthcare’s place is that Trinity Well being “walked away from a bargaining session scheduled for Thursday with staff represented by SEIU Healthcare Michigan.”

Employees selected Friday because the date for the strike to “construct consciousness of the essential position they play” yearly in offering take care of the Coast Guard Competition that brings an inflow of 350,000 annual guests to the world and “causes a pressure on all providers.”  

“It’s clear that Trinity Well being is extra targeted on violating employee’s rights moderately than fixing issues and coming to an settlement on a good contract. We can not recruit and retain workers at our hospital till Trinity raises wages which can be aggressive with what different West Michigan hospital staff make,” mentioned Erin Dexter, an ultrasound tech at Trinity Well being Grand Haven. 

SEIU represents diagnostic imaging yechs, lab assistants and technologists, housekeepers, dietary staff, and social staff, unit clerks, affected person care associates, medics and different positions at Trinity Grand Haven. 

A Trinity Grand Haven Hospital official on Friday countered SEIU’s declare. 

“SEIU makes many false claims however the reverse is true. Of the practically 200 members of the bargaining unit, we don’t consider greater than 25 workers are actively picketing at the moment. This week there have been quite a few complaints of intimidation, bullying and harassment by union supporters towards our hospital colleagues,” mentioned Amy Rotter, a Trinity Well being spokesperson. 

“The SEIU’s remedy of our colleagues has reached a breaking level. Not less than 30 % of present union colleagues filed a petition on [July 31] with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requesting to now not be a part of the SEIU. In gentle of this information, we determined to pause additional negotiations. We are going to respect regardless of the colleagues resolve in a good election, overseen by the NLRB, and resume negotiations if mandatory.”