Union Contract Negotiations with Medina Memorial Hospital

(Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation)

Union Contract Negotiations with Medina Memorial Hospital 

Union’s Opening Statement

December 13, 2011

These negotiations bring together all of the members of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East from each of the three bargaining units at Medina Memorial Hospital: registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and technicians, and service and maintenance employees.

These negotiations occur at a critical time in both our health care system and in the relationship between employees and management here in Medina.

Our health care system has been buffeted by changes in the past few years, many of which have not been good. The lasting recession, State and Federal budget cuts, and looming major reform in payment and practice are just a few of the changes that we are seeing.

Many once profitable hospitals in our region are now struggling, and some have closed, or curtailed services, or merged with other facilities. An example close to home is Medina’s recent closure of its obstetrics unit and its continued review of its lines of business.

Those hospital systems who will be most successful in meeting the challenges of change are those who can best work collaboratively with their employees.

We are prepared to work with this Hospital management to meet present and coming challenges. But we are not prepared to be dictated to. Working together means just that - working together.

The 800 pound gorilla in this negotiating room is health insurance. During the term of this agreement, the Hospital stopped consulting the Union about the health plans that it offered and radically reduced basic benefits and the share it was willing to pay for them.

Employees left these negotiations three years ago with the reasonable expectation that the Hospital’s share of health premiums for family coverage would go up and that single coverage levels would be maintained. The Hospitalreneged on this commitment, cut its payments, and shifted over $200,000 in cost onto the staff who were enrolled for health benefits. This cost shift caused untold hardship on many families. Employees had to choose to pay much more from their paychecks or gamble with the high deductible plan that they or a family member did not take seriously ill.

So we come to these negotiations seeking to reverse that action. We come seeking to restore affordable health insurance to these health care workers. It is only right that those who care for the sick have access to comprehensive and affordable health coverage themselves.

We will resolve this issue or there will be no settlement.

And we are serious about working together.

New rules of payments to Medina Memorial will emphasize patient satisfaction and quality of care. They will replace the old fee for service models. They will require greater team work, greater training, greater communication, and greater cooperation among staff to succeed and prosper as an organization.

We will be making proposals that move us in the direction of a better working relationship, if only Hospital management will work with us.

Some of our proposals will be simply administrative in nature, updating certain clauses of the collective bargaining agreement. Some of our proposals seek to provide clearer rights and rules in our contract. Some will call for greater stability by enhancing job security. Some will call for a greater investment in training and education. And some will request greater compensation to insure the Hospital’s ability to retain and recruit the best staff.

We present to you, Hospital management, a clear choice: work with us to improve the conditions that allow staff to provide the highest quality of care; or work against us, cause conflict, and everyone loses.

We intend to approach these talks with an open mind. We hope you do too.