JANESVILLE — Striking union employees at the Mercyhealth East clinic in Janesville were joined in a rally Friday by about 150 community members, elected officials and other union workers, as negotiations with the healthcare provider remained at a standstill.
The Mercyhealth workers, including nurses, lab technicians and phlebotomists, who are represented by UAW Local 95, have been on strike since July 2 over demands for increased wages, affordable healthcare premiums and improved workplace security.
Mercyhealth East, 3524 E. Milwaukee St., is an outpatient clinic affiliated with Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center in Janesville.
Labor negotiations between Mercyhealth and its union workers at the Mercyhealth East clinic quickly broke off last Friday, July 11, after the company held to its previous offer, according to a union representative. No new negotiation date has been set.
Andrew Stark, the international servicing representative for UAW Region 4, reaffirmed at Friday’s rally the union’s commitment to bargaining for a fair agreement and asked Mercyhealth to return to the table.
The 69 reached out to Mercyhealth on Friday for its response to the rally. Therese Michels, a media relations spokesperson for Mercyhealth, said in response that the health system is “standing by our original statement.”
Stark reiterated to the crowd at Friday’s rally how quickly negotiations broke off last week.
“We get to the table and they say they haven’t moved off their offer. They’ve made no movement whatsoever,” Stark said.
“You bring in a federal mediator, you bring in the bargaining committee, just to say we still don’t care about these workers out here,” Stark said.
He went on to read a letter from the UAW Local 291 Bargaining Committee, whose members at Cummins Incorporated in Oshkosh recently ended their own 16-week strike on July 7.
The letter expressed solidarity and UAW Local 291’s support for the striking Janesville workers. It also shared their experience, saying “strikes work” and that Mercy “can do the right thing and get you all an offer you can be proud of.”
The letter suggested that Cummins, like Mercy, “chose to play games” with direct dealing and hiring security.
“This is nothing but corporate games,” the letter said. “The companies will continue to use their profits to fight us. They may have the money, but we have the people. Stay strong.”
‘A fight’
Before passing off the microphone, which was attached to a speaker in the back of a pickup truck, Stark characterized the standoff with Mercyhealth as “a fight,” and “not just for the Mercy workers here.”
“This is a fight for the community as a whole. A strong contract here guarantees good health care outcomes for these patients that come in here,” Stark said.
“This isn’t just a fight about contracts, this is a fight about values,” Stark continued. “If you value your workers, you’ll get to the table and offer them a fair and equitable deal that they can ratify so they can get back in and give the patient care that they’ve been doing for years.”
Workplace security
Workplace security has emerged as a central grievance among the striking Mercyhealth employees. Anthony Venturini, a lab worker and phlebotomist, described at at Friday’s rally instances of homeless individuals in breakrooms and panhandlers approaching workers’ cars.
“What brings me out here today is really the security in our building,” Venturini said, explaining that many workers, particularly women, “feel threatened.” He added, “everybody could have more money, but it’s really about having a secure building for our partners and for our patients.”
Samantha Gomez, a medical laboratory technician, echoed these concerns. “We have witnessed people sleeping in tents next to our building, a person setting up shop in our employee lounge over the weekend, and some running through the parking lot chased by cops,” Gomez said.
She suggested a hypocrisy by Mercyhealth management, whom she said claimed a lack of funds to improve security but deployed security guards on the first day of the strike.
Brittany Stevens, a registered nurse, accused Mercyhealth of “an aggressive campaign of union busting,” including sending letters to staff threatening their positions and advising partners not to speak with strikers.
“All we want is to provide actual care to our patients, no matter my position on this line,” Stevens said. She urged Mercyhealth administration to “return to the table and to continue to bargain with us.”
‘Passion for making lives better’
Judy McRobert, president of UAW Local 95, questioned Mercyhealth’s stated values.
“Mercy has a motto: ‘Passion for making lives better.’ I want to know whose lives those are ‘cause they’re certainly not their employees,” McRobert said.
The rally drew support from elected officials, several of whom were on hand Friday.
State Rep. Brienne Brown, a Democrat from Whitewater who represents state Assembly District 43, emphasized the power of collective action.
“Unions are what makes us strong. Community is what makes us strong. Solidarity is what makes us strong,” Brown said, listing historical union achievements including securing weekends off, breaks and the right to strike.
State Sen. Mark Spreitzer, a Democrat from Beloit who represents state Senate District 15, said 60 Democratic state legislators have signed a letter condemning Mercyhealth’s tactics.
“Mercyhealth hasn’t lived up to its mission, vision, and values, and all of you deserve much, much better,” Spreitzer said, addressing Friday’s rally.
Some rally attendees said they had hoped for a greater turnout.
Barb Briggs, a retired General Motors worker from Janesville, expressed disappointment, saying she had expected “five times as many people” in a “UAW town.”
She compared the current strike to past GM disputes, noting that “General Motors was a little bit better about recognizing their faults and negotiated better with us. Usually, our strikes were only a couple days long before reaching an agreement. This is crazy.”
Briggs urged the Janesville community to “stay strong and support these people. And every time you go by, honk. If you’ve got some free time in the day, get out here and picket with them. We need to show Mercy that the community is serious about this as well as the workers.”
Lucas DeSpain, the assistant director of UAW region 4, delivered an emotional address, saying the true value in health care comes from the workers, not “the people who had their name on the damn walls of the hospital” or “CEOs or the vice presidents.”
“It’s not the boardroom folks. It’s the breakroom folks,” DeSpain said, thanking the workers for their dedication to patients and promising continued solidarity.
Leroy Danielson, 95, a retired member of Teamsters Local 579, had a “UAW on Strike” poster at his feet on Friday. His daughter-in-law, Dorothy Danielson, a retired UAW member and former Mercyhealth employee, also attended Friday’s rally.
Dorothy Danielson and her husband, Bruce, also a retired Teamster, emphasized the importance of job security and affordable healthcare. Bruce Danielson called it “sad” that Mercyhealth “won’t come back to the table.”
Bruce Danielson accused Mercyhealth of “playing hardball” and trying to “bust the union.” He agreed with the perceived irony of the health system bringing in security guards during the strike, while not responding to ongoing safety concerns.
