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McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center Workers Negotiate New Contract

ratehospitals.com

Rising tension between unionized staff and the management at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has resulted in talks of a strike.

On Monday, about 400 workers from the Service Employees International Union Local 49 authorized their bargaining committee to negotiate with McKenzie-Willamette about staffing and compensation issues.

Union spokesperson Rae Dannaville says the next round of negotiations will be held on August 21st. She says that no definitive plans to strike have been made, but workers are fighting to win a contract and remain competitive with local hospitals.

“Hospitals are really one of the backbones of the community,” says Dannaville, “and so a healthy hospital with healthcare workers who are able to come to work and really care for their community, feeling supported, and feeling that they themselves have the resources that they need to do their jobs well is really important.”

Dannaville says the union workers include service maintenance, technical staff, and nursing assistants.

Copyright KLCC, 2019.