About 500 employees at Merrimack Health Lawrence (Mass.) Hospital have joined 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
Five things to know:
1. The employees include nurse’s aides, phlebotomists, housekeepers, transport workers, pharmacy technicians and radiology aides, according to a July 24 union news release shared with Becker’s.
2. The hospital employees began organizing in 2025 and filed for union election in June. Eighty-nine percent of employees voted to form a union with 1199SEIU in an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, the release said.
3. Lawrence, Mass.-based Merrimack Health respects the outcome of the election and values and appreciates the colleagues who engaged in the process, a health system spokesperson said in a July 27 statement shared with Becker’s.
“In support of our commitment to serving the Merrimack Valley as a unified, mission-driven health system, we are also focused on fostering a workplace where all employees feel supported and empowered in their roles,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to working in good faith with 1199SEIU on efforts that enhance the wellbeing of our patients and employees.”
4. Merrimack Health is a three-hospital system that was formed in 2025 following the bankruptcy of Dallas-based Steward Health Care. In October 2024, then-Lawrence General Hospital assumed control of two hospitals formerly owned by Steward.
5. The employees are seeking a first contract that addresses turnover and burnout, the release said.
1199SEIU represents more than 85,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and more than 450,000 workers across the East Coast.
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