Feds say Mayo Clinic, trying to become worst employer ever, bargained in bad faith

Maintenance workers at the Albert Lea Medical Center have been negotiating a new contract with Mayo Clinic for more than a year, without an agreement.

The sticking point: Mayo wants the right to change their benefits -- everything related to paid time off, vacation time, holidays, pension, health insurance, jury duty -- whenever it wants to without the union getting involved. Which kind of defeats the whole point of an agreement.

In return, Mayo has offered meager raises, which amount to just 10 cents more an hour for those with at least 20 years of experience working for the company, and eight cents more for everyone else. It's less than what they've offered to non-union employees.

Workers refused to agree to those terms, and Mayo refused to budge on its demands. Their current contract expired November 30, after more than a dozen negotiation standoffs and two days of picketing outside the medical center.

Read more: http://www.citypages.com/news/feds-say-mayo-clinic-trying-to-become-worst-employer-ever-bargained-in-bad-faith/407800975

Cross-posted in Omaha Steve's Labor Group.