RALLY FOR COMMUNITY STANDARDS 8/18
"Letter to Editor"08/17/2010
JOIN US TOMORROW, WED AUG 18th from 4-7pm at East Park Shelter in Rochester, MN
Union members at Olmsted Medical Center Hospital (OMCH), the 49 admissions clerks, housekeepers, dietary workers, custodial, maintenance and stockroom are in the midst of contract negotiations. Perhaps you've seen the ads for OMC on TV, radio, print and billboards. "Everyone matters at Olmsted Medical Center." "Everyone is a caregiver." Union members make these statements real every day at OMCH. Union members do care and take pr...ide in their work at Olmsted. And it shows. Over the last few years OMCH has made record profits upon record profits of $10.5 million in 2008, $12.6 milliion in 2009, and we expect them to make $14 million in 2010.
OLMSTED'S INSULTING OFFER
What has been the result for their hard work? Disrespect and insulting offers. For example, while management is making record profits, and receiving bonuses of up to $50,000, OMCH offers 0% increases to union members. "The only way to look at that," says Denny Murray, maintenance engineer at OMCH, "They are exploiting the bad economy for their own greed." It's a familiar story in this economy. OMCH executives squeeze more and more work out of the workers, and pay themselves.
Currently workers at OMCH make significantly less than their fellow union members doing the same work across town at the Mayo hospitals. OMCH makes the same per procedure as the Mayo hospitals yet OMCH pays its workers less. The full price tag of what union members need to bring them up to community standard pay is $80,000 which is 0.5% of the profit OMCH is anticipating this year. The workers have definitely earned it!
EMPLOYER'S DISRESPECT
During the period of negotiation management did everything they could to bust the workers' union. CEO, Tim Weir held all-staff meetings just to spread falsehoods about the worker's union. Executives put out memos containing false information about the workers' union. In the end, the workers stayed strong and caught their CEO in his falsehoods. The workers union soundly defeated the union busting effort by OMCH.
Olmsted Medical Center Hospital union workers are calling on you to join them at the Rally for Our Community Standards - Respecting workers, Valuing everyone's contribution.