UI Health Care Workers union protest for better wages, benefits

Members of the University of Iowa Health Care workers union picketed at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Hawkins Drive Wednesday after failed contract negotiations with the Iowa Board of Regents Feb. 14. Service Professionals International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa presented regents with a 25 page-plus proposal of demands for their 2025-2027 contract that included a 14% increase to base wages for 2025 and 12% the following year. Regents countered with a 3% wage increase, which workers say is 0.5% above the bare minimum required by law at the bargaining table and inadequate to meet rising costs associated with inflation. Shannon Gillette, a UIHC nurse who works in the surgical neuro intensive care unit, said the regents’ offer is not enough in light of the cost of living. “I think we're all fed up,” he said, while cars roared past the intersection and honked their horns. “We've just had it. We're relying on so many traveling staff right now to fill our vacancies, and I just feel like it's kind of a slap in the face…travelers make, you know, anywhere from two to three times – maybe sometimes more – than what our staff makes. And that's a huge portion of the health care workers we have working at the university. So, yeah, I feel like it's time to invest in us, and I think it would be a wise investment.”

Increased bereavement leave, parental leave among demands in proposed contract

Among the proposals in the contract was a provision ensuring proper training for staff temporarily assigned to specialized roles outside their usual duties. Other key proposals include:

• Parking reimbursement for employees
• $10 worker differential for all SEIU staff
• Monthly labor-management committee meetings with administration and the union, with quarterly goals established
• Restoration of seniority for former Mercy staff, now part of UIHC Downtown Hospital, who lost it during the merger
• Reinstating union access to new employee orientation to inform new hires of their rights and union coverage
• A formal union grievance procedure
• Parental leave
• An increase of bereavement leave from three days to 10 days

The proposal includes a counteroffer of a revised wage increase -- 11.5% in 2025 and 7% in 2026 -- after the regents rejected the initial request for 14% and 12%, respectively. A spokesman for the Board of Regents said negotiations are continuing as they follow the process in accordance with Iowa law. “The board and the University of Iowa greatly appreciates the work of the members of SEIU, as they provide outstanding service and care to patients,” Josh Lehman, senior communications director for the Iowa Board of Regents, wrote the CBJ. “The three percent base wage increase shows the value we have for the members, while balancing the fiscal needs of the hospital.” In addition to the base wage increase in the contract, the board will continue to provide a comprehensive benefits package to employees, he continued. “We have also made more than $30 million in market adjustments to pay for SEIU staff in recent years, which impacted more than 3,600 SEIU-covered staff members. These things are key to being able to recruit and retain quality employees,” he added.

Wage increase needed to retain staff

Among those picketing in a show of solidarity was Oliver Weilein, candidate for Iowa City Council representing District C. Holding a sign that read “Safe Staffing Now!” among union members chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, corporate greed has got to go!” Mr. Weilein emphasized the important role UI Health Care staff play in the wellness of Iowa citizens. “These are not people that we should be skimping out on payments to,” he said. “These are people that are essential to our community, and a lot of them can't even afford to live in Iowa City where they work, because of the pay that they get and because housing is so expensive in Iowa City. And so I think that the board of regents needs to actually get their priorities straight and consider that maybe the reason why you have staffing issues, and maybe the reason why your employees are so unhappy is because you pay them like crap and you treat them as if they're dispensable.” Pediatric clinical pharmacist Gabrielle Schneiderman said she’s only been a member of the union for a few months, adding that she was paid “much better” for her position when previously living in Wisconsin. Turnover within the pharmacy department has been high, she said, and wages need to be competitive to retain staff. “It definitely makes us feel like they just don't value us,” she said, and the 3% wage increase offer isn’t enough – ultimately, it’s the patients who suffer, she said. “It's obviously not enough because we had four openings in our pharmacy department this summer. We have 22 openings right now – that has gone up so much, and our pay and our benefit package, it's just not keeping people around,” she said. “We want the people of Iowa to live long health(y) lives, and health care workers need to be sticking around in order to do that.”