SEIU members celebrate success in arbitration ruling
(ABC 6 News) – Service Employees International Union (SEIU) members at Mayo Clinic’s Saint Marys campus are enjoying a victory after months of ongoing contract negotiations and arbitration.
Those frontline healthcare workers have long bargained for what they call a fair contract.
Last year, when an agreement still could not be reached after months of negotiations, those talks went to a third party.
RELATED: SEIU and Mayo Clinic still unable to come to agreement
As of Friday, 1,600 healthcare workers had their answer. The three person arbitration board ruled in favor of the union.
Mayo Clinic personal care assistant, Mike Szynal-Whitaker was among the group gathered outside the Saint Marys campus Saturday morning celebrating with union members.
“I’m very very happy, I’m relived, it’s been too long,” Szynal-Whitaker said.
Lead contract negotiator Hallie Wallace spent the majority of the time at the podium. She explained the three-year binding contract would include a $20 minimum wage that would increase to $21.74 in year three, back pay from April 23, 2023 and a cap on mandatory overtime hours at 18.
Wallace got emotional when she expressed her gratitude for the union members who helped with the contract negotiation.
“I’m so happy for the people who are behind me right now,” Wallace said while wiping tears from her face. “The people who were at the table with us, the people who work here everyday.”
While the arbitration board ruled in favor of the union, Mayo Clinic staff said they were making progress and believe an agreement could have been reached if the union continued to bargain.
Mayo Clinic emailed a statement to ABC 6 News on Friday evening:
“Mayo Clinic has a new collective bargaining agreement in place with approximately 1,800 staff represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) at our Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus following a series of negotiation sessions and arbitration. While we believe Mayo Clinic and SEIU would have reached similar results around key issues much sooner had SEIU allowed the bargaining process to continue, we are focused on moving forward with our shared goal of providing world class patient care. We value and appreciate our staff for their contributions.”
Mayo Clinic said it made investments in their staff when they expanded counseling services, absorbed costs for premium medical plans in 2025 and delivered appreciation payments for all staff at the end of last year.
Jennifer Santos Norgren, a sterile processing technician at Mayo Clinic, said while union members put in work to advocate for themselves, they also still had to execute the demands of their jobs at the hospital.
“On the ground at work everyday, just every one of us pulling so much weight to try to make sure our patients get what they need, that our colleagues get what they need,” said Norgren.
The new contract takes effect immediately.