A union of health care workers known as the United Health Professionals of New Mexico rallied outside University of New Mexico Hospital鈥檚 Sandoval Regional Medical Center on Monday calling for a 3% raise that every employee received except those the union seeks to represent.
The health care workers union, a division of the American Federation of Teachers, offered UNMH a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that would give union workers the same wage increase the hospital gave the rest of the hospital system earlier this month. The hospital still has to gather at the bargaining table to agree to the wages.
鈥淚 mean, they gave it to everyone, across the board, except for the 200 of us, and that's unfair,鈥� said ER nurse Samantha Hines.
She said that, without competitive wages, the hospital struggles to retain employees.
鈥淎nd I think that patient care suffers when you don't have enough permanent staff,鈥� she said.
Medical Assistant Grace Gutierrez said she feels unsupported by hospital management.
鈥淭hey can walk around all day long [saying], 鈥榃hat can I do for you? What do you need?鈥� But if you're not going to provide what we need, we lean upon each other in each clinic,鈥� she said.
About 20 people attended the rally. Gutierrez said more employees wanted to join but were afraid of retaliation.
鈥淏ut without nobody speaking, we're left stagnant,鈥� she said.
In a phone call with 九色网 after the rally, UNMH spokesperson Christopher Ramirez said the hospital in a wage increase earlier this year. However, union leadership filed a complaint with the state labor board because the raise came without a bargaining agreement.
He said the hospital is, 鈥渨illing and looking forward to negotiation鈥� with the union鈥檚 regular employees, but that the union has declined until PRN or 鈥渁s-needed鈥� staff are also included. Ramirez said the question of whether it is legal for such staff to be brought into the contract is being heard in state district court, with an answer likely a year out.
He argued the medical center already pays competitively 鈥渇or the market,鈥� and that regular staff there could be making better wages if union leaders agreed to a more limited negotiation.
As for employees fearing retaliation, Ramirez said health care workers are legally prohibited from walking off the job, but that the hospital would 鈥渂e respectful of the First Amendment rights鈥� of any staff rallying lawfully.
He said leadership is reviewing the union鈥檚 MOA, which it received after the start of the rally.
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