Iowa City-based University of Iowa Health Care will change employee parking permit types and rates at some of its locations starting Nov. 1, according to a statement shared with Becker’s, and thousands of people have signed a Change.org petition asking the health system to reduce employee parking rates.
The petition was created July 28 by an anonymous University of Iowa employee and had more than 4,100 signatures as of Aug. 14. Signers say the permit changes will raise out-of-pocket costs for employees who drive to work, and the petition asks administrators to keep employee rates lower.
UI Health Care is an academic health system with a clinical enterprise of nearly 20,000 staff members.
Hannah Bott, lead organizer with the Iowa division of SEIU Health Care Minnesota & Iowa, which represents UI Health Care nurses and staff, told The Gazette that some employees will see lower parking costs under the changes while others will pay more.
A UI Health Care spokesperson said in the statement that parking costs and convenience have varied widely across its locations and that the changes will align permit types and rates at several locations with the structure used across the broader University of Iowa campus. The spokesperson said the alignment will support long-term maintenance and construction needs for parking facilities that serve patients and staff, and that permit revenue is reinvested in parking.
Specific permit changes will vary by location, and there are no changes for patients and visitors, according to the statement. The spokesperson said parking reciprocity will expand for employees who work across locations, and that the system is working on additional transportation and parking options and plans to share details with employees this fall.
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