Wage war brews at Johns Hopkins Hospital
By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
A union representing the hospital's service and maintenance workers, including housekeepers and those who deliver food to patients, requested the increase because it said many of the workers rely on government assistance programs such as food stamps and
The contract with the workers, members of labor union 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, was set to expire at midnight Monday, and the two sides continued to negotiate late into the evening but no agreement was reached.
The workers voted last week to take action, including a possible strike, if Hopkins does not make "significant movement," union officials said.
Hopkins declined to discuss details of the negotiations, which have been continuing for several weeks.
"We are negotiating in good faith, working to reach a settlement that's fair to everyone and reflects financial responsibility on the part of the hospital," Hopkins spokeswoman
The union's bargaining committee is seeking what it called a "fair wage" of at least
"Hopkins is No. 1, and they have to act No. 1 on wages and benefits, just as they are No.1 in all aspects of health care," said
Union officials said Hopkins proposed across-the-board raises of 1 percent in each of the first two years of the contract.
Hoppe said in an email that Hopkins came to a wage agreement with the union last year. The starting salary of the workers represented by the union ranges from
Union leaders counter that many workers can't afford to put their families on their health insurance, so they end up on state programs.
Very few workers fall at the higher end of those wage numbers, union officials also said. Most, like
Brown said Hopkins is not paying her enough. A housekeeper who said she has worked at Hopkins for more than 18 years, the 62-year-old has a hard time paying all of her bills on her
Hopkins offers emergency loans, she said, but then she ends up in debt to her employer. She wonders if she'll ever have enough money to retire.
"It's hard for me to make ends meet," Brown said. "It's a struggle. We work hard for that little bit that they pay, and sometimes it can be stressful physically and mentally."
Striking could prove risky for workers in such a competitive job market with stagnant wages, said
Hopkins might find it easy to find replacement workers, especially for such low-skilled jobs, Harrington said.
"There are lots and lots of people who could do these jobs and would take these jobs at the prevailing wage," he said.
But
Hospital strikes tend not to last long because of concerns about patient care, but can be a good way to prove a point to bosses, Eisenbrey said.
"They signify that workers are really upset and that can get management's attention," Eisenbrey said.
The wage dispute at Hopkins comes as Gov.
Union leaders said Hopkins often argues its wages are competitive for
"Their wages are substandard," said
Workers and union leaders said they would prefer not to strike but are willing to if it means better pay.
"No one wants to go on strike, but if I have to, I will," Brown said. "They have been nickel-and-diming me and a whole lot of us for too long."
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