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 Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa presented regents with a 25 page-plus proposal of demands for their 2025-2027 contract […]
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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 Employees 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
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.”-
- A protestor stops to explain the demonstration to a passenger in a car stopped at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Hawkins Drive.
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- Shannon Gillette, a UIHC nurse who works in the surgical neuro intensive care unit, strikes a drum while holding two signs that read “We can’t survive on 3%!” and “Purchasing power has decreased by 7.2%.”
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- A woman writes “Take action!” in purple marker on a white board on the sidewalk along Hawkins Drive.
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- Two protestors facing east Melrose Avenue hold signs urging passing cars to honk in support.
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- A woman in a green coat pushing a child in a stroller holds a sign reading “Over-worked and unde-paid, UIHC has got it made!”
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- Three protestors bundled up in coats and hats picket across the street from the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics sign on Hawkins Drive.
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- A protestor wearing a purple hat and purple coat — the colors of SEIU — stands at the hospital entrance on Hawkins Drive Feb. 26.
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- A woman in an orange coat faces north on Hawkins Drive, holding signs that read “Honk 4 Healthcare” and “Hey regents, do better now!”
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- Pediatric clinical pharmacist Gabrielle Schneiderman speaks with a reporter during the protest Feb. 26.
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- Pediatric clinical pharmacist Gabrielle Schneiderman, right, stands with two other healthcare workers picketing at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Hawkins Drive on Wednesday.
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- A protestor in white heart-shaped sunglasses and a green coat holds a small child in one arm and a sign reading “Over-worked and under-paid, UIHC has got it made!” in the other.
