Equitas Health workers form union with Ohio Federation of Teachers
Equitas Health workers voted to form a union with the Ohio Federation of Teachers, according to election results released Monday by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The tally was 62-45, which translates to about 58% of valid ballots cast in favor of the union.
The Equitas Health Workers United bargaining unit includes about 175 social workers, counselors, therapists, advocates, case managers and others who work for the LGBTQ healthcare provider, which has 500 employees and offices across Ohio.
Erin Koosed, a Medical Health Advocate at Equitas Health’s Toledo office, said the win felt “surreal” for staff members.
“I can’t believe this happened,” said Koosed, 41, of Whitehouse, Ohio. “We did this. We worked really hard for this, and now it’s real.”
Equitas Health: 'We will begin to bargain in good faith'
In a statement to The Dispatch, Equitas Health said it respected the employees’ decision.
“We will begin to bargain in good faith with the union toward a collective bargaining agreement,” the statement continued.
“The decision by our employees to unionize does not take away from the affirmative progress we’ve made over the past 10 months to build a culture in which diversity is valued and celebrated and everyone can expect to be treated with respect. We are proud of the changes and this progress, including our recent commitment of more than $2.5 million in increased compensation for our colleagues.”
Equitas employees began organizing with the Ohio Federation of Teachers in the spring of 2021. Last May, they petitioned for the union by submitting signed union cards to Equitas’ leadership and the Cincinnati office of the NLRB.
They cited desires to guarantee adequate staffing and resources, as well as fair compensation, benefits and work policies. They also wanted to prevent poor treatment of marginalized staff.
In October 2021, The Dispatch investigated claims of racial discrimination against Black employees at Equitas. Following the report, former Equitas CEO Bill Hardy and other senior leadership resigned, and the organization formed a new Office of Diversity Equity & Inclusion.
Equitas also hired law firm Lawrence & Bundy to conduct an independent investigation into the culture, which proved “shocking and humbling,” according to an email the Equitas board of trustees sent to stakeholders in early August.
The board also apologized, and stressed its commitment to driving change, and prioritizing the creation of a “safe, diverse, and inclusive environments for all people, including Black and brown employees.”
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“I think that Equitas is definitely moving in the right direction, and I think the investigation helped prompt all of that,” Koosed said. “But I think that unionizing will keep fire under the feet of those that are able to make the big decisions. We’re here, and we get to be part of the table.”
Equitas patients also celebrated the union win.
“I’m very thrilled,” said Rosalyn DeMattia, 30, of North Linden. “I think it will, hopefully, result in a great quality of life update for the Equitas workers. If they’re able to have more job security and more reason to stay at the job, that will only result in better care for us patients, too.”
Equitas latest Ohio employer to see workers unionize
Over the last 12 months, three other groups have joined the Ohio Federation of Teachers, which represents about 20,000 active and retired employees, including social workers, therapists and other healthcare professionals.
Worthington Libraries, Summit Academy in Lorain, and Menlo Park Academy in Cleveland have all won elections. And next week, educators at the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities will begin voting in their union election.
OFT President Melissa Cropper said she was "ecstatic" about the results of the Equitas workers' union election.
“These are such essential workers for our communities across the state," she added. "To have them as our members, and to help them make sure they have good working conditions, good compensation, etc. — so they can attract and retain quality people there — is just really exciting to me.”
Going forward, OFT will work with Equitas workers on contract negotiations.
“The hard work starts now,” Cropper said. “We don’t believe this has to be an adversarial process. We’re confident that our union members and the administration can sit down together and build a contract that will be beneficial to the clients that they serve.”
@miss_ethompson
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Equitas Health employees form union with Ohio Federation of Teachers
