Skilled maintenance workers employed by MedSpace Services canceled their planned July 2 strike at six Illinois hospitals owned by Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare after reaching new collective bargaining agreements.
Four things to know:
1. The workers, represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers, ratified new contracts at eight Prime hospitals after months of negotiations, according to a July 1 union news release shared with Becker’s.
2. A MedSpace spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker’s that the company reached new collective bargaining agreements for all hospitals represented by IUOE Local 399, which led to ratified agreements and strike notice withdrawal, “while reinforcing our commitment to our valued employees and ensuring our hospitals continue to provide safe, reliable, and high-quality care for the patients and communities we are privileged to serve.”
We appreciate the dedication of our skilled maintenance employees and the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in reaching this positive outcome,” the spokesperson said.
3. The 10-day strike notice was issued June 19. It included 53 employees at six hospitals that Prime purchased from St. Louis-based Ascension in March 2025: Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago, Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, Holy Family Medical Center in Des Plaines, Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston and Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin.
The contracts cover two additional hospitals: Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, and Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.
4. The union said the contracts restore seniority-based vacation accruals, raise wages toward market standards and include retroactive pay.
IUOE Local 399 represents nearly 11,000 skilled maintenance employees who are responsible for the maintenance and repair of building operating systems at sites such as hospitals, hotels, commercial office buildings and schools.
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