As a member of the SEIU negotiating team and employee of the Albert Lea Medical Center for 18 years, I feel the need to update the community on how bargaining is going to reach an agreement with Mayo on our contract that expired Nov. 30, 2016. Members of this group include utilities, sterile processing, materials management, housekeeping, laundry and nursing assistants.

Mayo claims they want to maintain a positive relationship with members of the union by bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement that is acceptable to both parties. The key word here is both. We, as a union, have presented many different packages that would be a fair deal for all, only to be shut down each and every time. After several sessions, we realized our only option was to come together for a one-day strike. Mayo retaliated by locking us out of our jobs over Christmas week. The National Labor Relations Board found merit in the charges that they locked us out, left the hospital without adequate staff and will have to defend themselves in court.

We have even agreed to the four main benefits they are demanding we take in order to get things done. They simply are not willing to negotiate to reach a fair agreement, despite what they say. Actions speak louder than words.

Mayo claims they want to compromise, but we have seen no inkling of this at all. They came into bargaining with the plan to gut our contract and are still sticking to their guns on that after a year and a half of negotiations. We as the union are not interested in going backwards in our benefits. We have worked hard over the years to get the contract that we have now and are not willing to give it all up. The expectations they want are unrealistic and dictative.

As employees of Mayo, we have been and will continue to always put patients first and do our jobs to the best of our abilities. We will continue to persist in the fight for good jobs with good benefits in our community.

Sheri Wichmann

Albert Lea