Tecumseh Herald: Herrick Medical Center workers picket over contract disputes

Hospital workers at Bixby and Herrick Medical Centers launched a two-day picket on Tuesday to protest the hospitals’ plan to increase healthcare costs for healthcare workers without providing them with a cost of living adjustment. Union members expected to continue the pickets on Wednesday.

Health care worker Connie Ackley has worked at the facility for 16 years and said that it is hard for health care providers such as herself to keep up when insurance costs keep rising and there are no cost of living raises to supplement it. Service and maintenance unit workers do not get the same raises as other hospital staff, according to a fact sheet issued by the union, and the hospital’s proposed wage rates will not keep up with the cost of living and increasing costs of food and fuel.

“Now with times so rough and with people not getting raises, you start losing money,” Ackley said. She said the current contract that the workers are under is an extension of a previous contract. She said during bargaining sessions, union representatives were told that the ProMedica Health System, based in Toledo, Ohio, which has its own insurance carrier, did not want them bargaining over insurance.

“But it’s in our contract to bargain for anything,” Ackley said. “Then they raised it another 2 percent.” She said this is not the first time that a 2 percent raise has been placed upon the workers.

“The workers at Bixby and Herrick helped make the hospitals the strong and profitable institutions they are today,” said Marge Faville, secretary treasurer of SEIU Healthcare Michigan, which represents the hospital workers. “Hospitals should lead by example and ensure their workers have access to quality and affordable health coverage and decent pay. Instead, they want to increase healthcare costs for healthcare workers without even providing a cost of living raise.”

Faville, who also is a registered nurse, added that the increase could force many healthcare workers to leave their jobs and be replaced with inexperienced and unskilled workers. “That will hurt the quality care that our loved ones depend on and put our families at risk. Lenawee County families shouldn’t have to worry about the skill level of the hospital staff when they seek medical attention.”

SEIU Healthcare Michigan members have been negotiating with the two hospitals for several months. SEIU Healthcare Michigan represents more than 55,000 healthcare workers statewide, including registered nurses, home care workers, nursing home aides and hospital support staff.

“Our issue all along has really been insurance,” said Ackley. “That, and not really respecting what we do as a team here. We do a lot of customer service with the patients. It’s a lot more than we’re supposed to do. We’re just considered caring people.” Ackley said the healthcare workers believe they should be treated more like valuable members of the medical center team.

ProMedica Health System issued a statement on the matter from Greg Corbett, President of Bixby Medical Center and Herrick Medical Center.

“Bixby Medical Center and Herrick Medical Center remain committed to offering competitive wages and benefits for employees in this region and marketplace,” the statement noted. “We will continue to work with the union until we have a deal on the table that is fair. In the meantime, I urge union members who are participating in informational pickets to please respect our patients’ right to a quiet and peaceful hospital environment.”

Union members are expected to hold a membership meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 20, to determine how to proceed with their issues.

Telegram: Support staff picket ProMedica

ADRIAN, Mich. -

Service and maintenance workers for Bixby and Herrick medical centers, citing stalled contract negotiations by the ProMedica administration, took their concerns to the picket line on each campus Tuesday and Wednesday.

Several dozen employees, who are members of the Service Employees International Union, walked the sidewalks in front of the hospitals with signs asking for “a good contract.”

Marge Faville, a registered nurse from Muskegon and secretary/treasurer of the Michigan SEIU, said the employees have been negotiating for a “fair contract” since October. Those picketing included members of the food service, maintenance, support, secretarial and orderly areas. “This is a great hospital. It provides great hospital care,” Faville said, but added she’s concerned that current negotiations include no pay increase while increasing the percentage workers have to pay for insurance. She said such an increase, which may reach a 20 percent co-pay for coverage, would cause more financial hardship for what Faville called “low wage earners.”

Bixby Medical Center communications specialist Susan Bacus issued a statement Wednesday from Greg Corbett, president of the Bixby and Herrick medical centers, but declined further comment.

“Bixby Medical Center and Herrick Medical Center remain committed to offering competitive wages and benefits for employees in this region and marketplace,” the statement read. “We will continue to work with the union until we have a deal on the table that is fair.

“In the meantime, I urge union members who are participating in informational pickets to please respect our patients’ right to a quiet and peaceful hospital environment.”

A news release carrying the SEIU logo and handed out by those participating in Wednesday’s picket said workers are seeking compensation to counter rising prices.

“They are increasing the cost of our health insurance and denying us a cost-of-living raise at a time when the prices of food and gas are rising every day,” the release stated.

Jim Dart, a maintenance worker at Bixby Medical Center, said he has served the hospital for almost 21 years and said in his long-time career, he has had experience in three or four unions. The Adrian resident said his current pay is comparable to what he made in 1983 working in a factory. He said he is frustrated with the contract negotiation status, which he called a “stalemate.”

Louann Cannon of Deerfield, a 26-year veteran of the hospital’s dietary department, said on the picket line that the service and maintenance workers do much of the work at the hospital.

“If it wasn’t for us cooking, cleaning and maintaining this hospital, the place wouldn’t be able to run,” Cannon said.

SEIU launches radio ads demanding Adrian-area hospitals halt cuts to workers’ healthcare

Bixby and Herrick hospitals want to increase premiums for already strapped hospital workers

SEIU Healthcare Michigan is launching an aggressive radio campaign to protest a hospital chain’s attempt to increase healthcare costs for healthcare workers at two Adrian-area hospitals.

“Hospital workers have made Bixby and Herrick medical centers profitable, and they deserve fair wages and health coverage for all the hard work they do,” said Marge Faville, secretary treasurer of SEIU Healthcare Michigan, the state’s largest healthcare union. “Bixby and Herrick should lead by example and make sure workers have access to affordable, quality healthcare.”

The radio ads are playing frequently on WABJ-FM, WLEN-FM and WQTE-FM.

Click here to listen to the ad.

Faville, who is also a registered nurse, said: “Bixby and Herrick medical centers’ dangerous plan could force many skilled healthcare workers to leave their jobs and be replaced with inexperienced and unskilled workers. That will hurt the quality care that our loved ones depend on, putting our families at risk.”

SEIU Healthcare Michigan members, who have been negotiating with the hospitals for months, will also be picketing both facilities on Tuesday, August 12th and Wednesday, August 13th.

Bixby Medical Center in Adrian and Herrick Medical Center in Tecumseh are owned by Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica Health System.

New York Nurses Secure Huge Gains for Patient Safety with Mandatory Overtime Victory

After six years of campaigning, 1199SEIU registered nurses in New York can take credit for an enormous victory for their patients and themselves. Both the State Senate and Assemby have passed a new law—which the Governor has agreed to sign--banning mandatory overtime for nurses, to take effect in 2009.

Passage of this law brings New York State into line with 14 other states that have taken action to address the public safety threat posed by mandatory overtime. Mandatory overtime has also been identified as a major cause of the exodus of nurses from the profession further exacerbating the current nursing shortage crisis.

Debra Friedland, RN, an 1199SEIU Delegate, said, "It’s easy to see how nurses would leave a profession if they never know when they will be able to get home to their families. Additionally, it is unsafe to care for patients if you have to work 16 or 20 hours, and no nurse wants to be the cause of an error."

1199SEIU led a coalition of several nurse unions and nurse associations that lobbied the legislature in Albany.

The New York State law will cover direct care registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in a wide array of healthcare settings, including public and private hospitals, nursing homes, the Office of Mental Health Facilities, and Department of Corrections facilities.

SEIU Healthcare Michigan MPO's help lead Obama to victory!

SEIU Healthcare Michigan members from across the state joined together to help Barack Obama wrap up the Democratic nomination and are now leading the fight to ensure we have a pro-worker President in the White House next year.

Hospital, nursing home and home care workers are on front lines of this critial campaign, whether its by knocking doors, making phone calls or getting active through their local Political Action Teams, SEIU Healthcare Michigan members are leading the way!

Become a Member Political Organizer!

2008 Convention in Puerto Rico

Our 2008 Convention in Puerto Rico was an amazing culmination of months of debate, discussion and planning that produced an exciting new vision of what we will strive to achieve together over the next four years. The commitment, respect and enthusiasm of our 1,200 SEIU Healthcare delegates throughout the week was remarkable, and speaks volumes to the democratic strength and vibrancy of our union.

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