Equipment maintenance crew votes against unionizing at Ascension St. Vincent
Equipment maintenance workers at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis voted against forming a union Friday, the latest failed effort for unions to break into the increasingly consolidated health care industry in Indianapolis.
Ascension St Vincent said it's grateful for the decision.
"We respect the rights of our associates to make an informed decision regarding if they want to be represented by a union," said spokesperson Emily Garrett in a statement. "In this instance, our associates chose to stay in direct dialogue with their leaders rather than choosing to be represented by (the International Union of Operating Engineers)."
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The equipment maintenance crew works for Medxcel, a subsidiary of Ascension St. Vincent.
The union drive began when managers changed an eight-hour shift into a 12-hour shift, upending some employee's home lives, said one employee who declined to be named due to fear of retaliation. Some of the workers were also frustrated with the rising cost of the company health care plan that cut into cost of living raises.
"They wanted respect in the workplace," said Zach Perry, an organizer with Operating Engineers Local 399. "They wanted pay, that was a big thing. They wanted pension and health care."
The vote against unionizing, in part, was a result of managers holding anti-union meetings to intimidate employees, organizers think. The crew includes 32 workers.
Perry said the company had one-on-one meetings with individual employees and brought in outside consultants to fight against the union.
They also sent out multiple anti-union information sheets, Perry said.
"Misconception #1: "the union will get me better pay and benefits," one flyer read.
"Fact: The Collective bargaining is potentially hazardous for employees and that as a result of such negotiations employees might possibly wind up with less benefits after unionizing than before."
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Unions have struggled to organize in health care in Central Indiana. Last year, a drive to organize an Indianapolis branch of a primary health chain, Oak Street Health, lost by one vote. Back in 2015, a high-profile effort to unionize 3,900 nurses at Indiana University Health hospital never succeeded.
"It's been tough," said Brett Voorhies, the president of Indiana State AFL-CIO, an association of unions. "We're a conservative state. The laws aren't for us. The environment isn't for us."
Do you have a story to tell about working in health care? Contact Binghui Huang at 317-385-1595 or Bhuang@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Maintenance crew votes against unionizing at Ascension St. Vincent
