Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz Issues Statement Regarding Mercy Health Labor Dispute

Below is a statement from Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz regarding the labor dispute between Mercy Health and United Auto Workers Local 2213, which represents about 950 nurses at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center and a dozen at St. Anne Hospital.

June 7, 2019 :

The nursing strike at Mercy Health - St. Vincent Medical Center is now in its second month. The nurses are seeking an end to grueling and mandatory overtime that has many of them working a 12-hour shift, then being on call for another 12-hour shift.

The hospital's forced overtime policy is unfair to nurses and potentially harmful to patients. Mercy has been the subject of increasing criticism for failing to adhere to its mission of helping people who are poor and underserved.

As hundreds of highly qualified nurses are on the picket line, Mercy is advertising $25,000 signing bonuses for their replacements. Despite more than $38 million in tax breaks Mercy received in Greater Cincinnati, it is closing health clinics in schools serving economically challenged students at the same time it serves as the official health care provider for the city's professional soccer team.

Mercy Health is now Ohio's largest hospital system and among the state's biggest employers, and it is also one of the largest and most important employers in Toledo. As Mercy continues to expand, I strongly urge its leaders to return to the bargaining table and reach an agreement that best serves nurses, patients, and the community.

Sincerely,

Wade Kapszukiewicz