SEIU Wisconsin Meriter Service & Support workers — which includes certified nursing assistants, environmental services, food and nutrition, obstetrics technicians, operating room aides, and engineering — will hold an informational picket at Meriter Hospital on May 9 from 3–6:30 p.m. This news comes after nearly three months of bargaining to improve the standards of the lowest paid hospital employees.
The picket is not a work stoppage or strike; Meriter workers will be off the clock while participating.
In 2022, Meriter made nearly $59 million in profits, but its Service & Support workers say they are chronically understaffed, and the pay for the lowest paid workers in Service & Support is not enough to recruit and retain quality employees.
Management is offering Service & Support workers a wage increase of a little over 4% each year for the next two years. The top 10 Meriter managers on average receive 17% wage increases.
Community members and organizations like the South-Central Federation of Labor are supporting the Service & Support workers at Meriter in seeking a fair contract to improve care.
