Conifer has given wage increases to employees at St Michael Medical Center, St. Francis Hospital and others while intentionally leaving out St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth.
UFCW Local 3000 has formally requested wage increases for members at St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth to help with recruitment and retention as well as to counter the rising cost of living.
Management quickly responded to our request by saying they were not interested in giving us a mid-cycle wage increase. Management specifically said that they believe our “compensation is appropriate and additional market adjustments will not be provided nor are we required to take such action.”
We are all worth retaining and deserve better wages! We have coworkers who continue to leave to go elsewhere because they can get better somewhere else. If management wants to retain and recruit others, they need to respect us by paying us what they have given others and what we deserve.
“To get the same raise from Conifer that were given to other workers would show that the company values us as employees. It would lessen the stress of high costs we are dealing with because of many years of raises that have not even kept up with inflation. The pandemic has been a really difficult time for all healthcare workers and acknowledging our hard work and the contributions made to our community and our hospital would be REALLY meaningful. Conifer is treating union employees differently from our counterparts. We feel that St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth facilities are being discriminated against by not being offered the same raises that are given to other Conifer employees. Management has even told hospital employees that we can’t be given the raises since we are members of a union. Union employees need to be treated fairly by Conifer! We have stood with Conifer during the worst of times during the Covid crisis and we need Conifer to show that we are valued by extending us the same raises as our fellow employees.”
— Diane Demorest, Patient Account Rep at Conifer St. Elizabeth Hospital
“Conifer not giving us the 10% Market Increase is over a $2 an hour lost income for me. Equaling over $5,000 a year! If they value us as employees they need to pay us market rates. Not punish us because we are union. Many other companies out there paying more and that’s why we have such a high turn over in staff. The company is losing a lot of money onboarding and training people only to lose a lot of them in less than a month. Rather than paying more to retain their staff.”
— Marne Lint, Patient Access at St. Joseph Medical Center.
Sign a petition calling management to do the right thing and give us the wages we deserve!
