Nearly 3,000 workers at eight Twin Cities hospital facilities will strike Tuesday, May 20 -- the largest action yet in a series of "rolling" one-day walkouts by Service Employees International Union Local 113.
The massive strike will involve more than half of the 5,900 workers currently negotiating a new contract with Twin Cities hospitals. The central issue remains the lack of affordable health care for health care workers, the union said.
"If hospitals truly valued all their employees like they say, then they would stop charging some of their lowest-paid workers more than twice what CEOs and managers pay for family health care," said Julie Schnell, Local 113 president. "I hope the possibility of so many front-line caregivers walking off the job will convince management to come to the negotiating table where this issue should be resolved."
Health care facilities that will be affected by the May 20 strike are Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Bethesda Hospital, Bethesda Care Center, Minneapolis Children's Hospital, North Memorial Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Phillips Eye Institute and St. John's Hospital.
Previous walkouts have occurred at Mercy, United, St. Paul Children's, Fairview-Riverside and Fairview-Southdale Hospitals and Community Linen Services.
Under management's latest offer, costs would rise for both single and family coverage, making health care for many workers "ever more unaffordable," the union said.
In other recent developments, SEIU Local 113 launched a series of print and radio ads to take their case before the public. The ads feature Elva Neubauer, a housekeeper at United, and Katrina Smith, an aide at Minneapolis Children's. Print versions appeared in Monday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Sixty-second ads have aired during the week on a number of local radio stations.
On Wednesday, workers also attempted to take their case to a meeting of the Board of Directors of Allina, parent corporation of several of the hospitals. However, they were turned away at the door and management refused a union offer to have two representatives address the board meeting.
Related article
Two-strike starts Monday at Fairview-Southdale
For more information
Visit the SEIU Local 113 website, www.seiu113.org
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Nearly 3,000 workers at eight Twin Cities hospital facilities will strike Tuesday, May 20 — the largest action yet in a series of “rolling” one-day walkouts by Service Employees International Union Local 113.
The massive strike will involve more than half of the 5,900 workers currently negotiating a new contract with Twin Cities hospitals. The central issue remains the lack of affordable health care for health care workers, the union said.
“If hospitals truly valued all their employees like they say, then they would stop charging some of their lowest-paid workers more than twice what CEOs and managers pay for family health care,” said Julie Schnell, Local 113 president. “I hope the possibility of so many front-line caregivers walking off the job will convince management to come to the negotiating table where this issue should be resolved.”
Health care facilities that will be affected by the May 20 strike are Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Bethesda Hospital, Bethesda Care Center, Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, North Memorial Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Phillips Eye Institute and St. John’s Hospital.
Previous walkouts have occurred at Mercy, United, St. Paul Children’s, Fairview-Riverside and Fairview-Southdale Hospitals and Community Linen Services.
Under management’s latest offer, costs would rise for both single and family coverage, making health care for many workers “ever more unaffordable,” the union said.
In other recent developments, SEIU Local 113 launched a series of print and radio ads to take their case before the public. The ads feature Elva Neubauer, a housekeeper at United, and Katrina Smith, an aide at Minneapolis Children’s. Print versions appeared in Monday’s Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Sixty-second ads have aired during the week on a number of local radio stations.
On Wednesday, workers also attempted to take their case to a meeting of the Board of Directors of Allina, parent corporation of several of the hospitals. However, they were turned away at the door and management refused a union offer to have two representatives address the board meeting.
Related article
Two-strike starts Monday at Fairview-Southdale
For more information
Visit the SEIU Local 113 website, www.seiu113.org