MUSKEGON, Mich. — On Monday, nearly 100 Trinity Health-Mercy employees and community members gathered to demand a fair contract. The employees were joined by hospital support staff, community supporters and elected officials.
A deadline for the contract negotiations has been set for Jan. 31. If a fair contract has not been agreed upon by that date, workers say they are "prepared to authorize their bargaining committee to do what is necessary to win a fair contract."
“For two years, we've risked our health and safety, picked up extra shifts and worked long hours to ensure safe patient care, even if it means we’re exhausted," said employee Tinitco Moore at the event. "After everything we’ve been through, Trinity workers know our worth and we’re prepared to take a stand for ourselves and our patients if we need to! We refuse to settle for a contract that leaves out the protections, incentives and rights we need and deserve.”
Workers at Trinity Health have been negotiating with hospital management for a stronger contract for nearly three years, according to their union, SEIU Healthcare Michigan. The union says some of the hospital's employees have not seen annual wage increases since 2017.
“Hospital workers have been here for us. It is time for us to be there for them,” said state representative Tony Sabo. “It's a shame that healthcare workers in our community haven't seen annual raises for years. I would like to see Trinity make an investment in Muskegon worthy of the sacrifices that our hospital workers have made. We need to support them in these challenging times.”
Mercy Health Muskegon released a statement about the negotiations Monday:
"The RNs, Tech and Support units at Mercy Health Muskegon have been represented by SEIU for years and we have always reached agreements with the union. Mercy Health Muskegon leadership and the RN, Service & Support and Tech units have been exchanging bargaining proposals for a new contract since February 2021.
Our negotiations are currently focused on non-economic items; and Mercy Health Muskegon has openly expressed our desire to increase the pace of the current negotiations to also address economic items. We have offered retention bonuses and sign-on bonuses, which the union membership recently voted down. Mercy Health Muskegon is currently providing critical staffing pay to many classifications of workers.
We look forward to increasing the pace of our negotiations, with the ultimate goal of reaching new agreements with the union. We have been able to do so in the past, and see no reason we will not reach agreements with the union."
Workers say they are negotiating for a more collaborative and respectful work environment and fair compensation. They say this would also allow the hospital to hire and retain more healthcare employees to address the worker shortage.
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