(ABC 6 News) — The Service Employees International Union delivered a petition to Mayo Clinic leadership Wednesday morning.

The union is negotiating a contract for 1,600 workers at the hospital’s Saint Marys campus. The current contract expired on April 22, but there’s been an agreement that the contract will continue as-is temporarily.

SEIU lead negotiator Hallie Wallace said that Mayo’s counteroffer to their demands for a wage increase were a 3% increase the first year, and 1% increases for the next two years, an amount SEIU deemed insufficient. “This is an initial proposal. Mayo will be moving up, we know that,” Wallace said.

“Record inflation and the pandemic have made large-scale wage increases necessary to combat staffing issues,” said Mayo patient service worker Michael Szynal. “My family has worked for Mayo for nearly eighty years at this point,” he said. “I have watched benefits and conditions worsen generation by generation.”

Members of the SEIU at Mayo Clinic include patient care assistants, certified surgical technologists, sterile process technicians, escorts, environmental service technicians, janitors, linen workers, Mayo Inventory Center workers, and telecommunications specialists.

Mayo Clinic public relations gave the following statement: “We had a productive negotiating session with SEIU yesterday and have more meetings scheduled with them in the coming weeks. We view that the union’s public announcements have become a routine step during negotiations, and we remain committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. We value the contributions of each of our staff members and have been negotiating in good faith since February 29.”

The SEIU threatened that if their demands are not met by the end of May, it will likely take the fight to the picket line.

“We want to come to a quick resolution,” said Szynal. “We’d love it if Mayo would move faster on this contract because we care about the patients and because we want better conditions not just for us but for them.”

Negotiations are scheduled to resume on Monday, May 8.