The mayor of Toledo, Ohio, is urging Mercy Health and the union representing nurses at two of its local hospitals to end a nearly two-month labor stalemate.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz released a statement June 7 regarding the dispute between Mercy Health and United Auto Workers Local 2213, the union representing about 950 registered nurses at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center and 12 at St. Anne Hospital in Toledo.
He took issue with Mercy Health's overtime policy, arguing that "nurses are seeking an end to grueling and mandatory overtime that has many of them working a 12-hour shift, then being on call for another 12-hour shift."
Mr. Kapszukiewicz also expressed concerns regarding money spent by Mercy Health.
"Despite more than $38 million in tax breaks Mercy received in Greater Cincinnati, it is closing health clinics in schools serving economically challenged students at the same time it serves as the official healthcare provider for the city's professional soccer team," he wrote.
He called on Mercy Health leaders to return to negotiations and reach a fair agreement with nurses.
In a response letter, Mercy Health leaders said the union refused to consider one of its offers, and the health system proposed language that would limit nurse associates to a 16-hour workday, but the union asked that the language be removed from its proposal. Mercy Health said that it provided more than $123.2 million in direct community benefit in the Toledo market last year, and the issue raised by the mayor related to sports venues and athletic sponsorships have nothing to do with current bargaining.
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