Here are four things to know about the picket.
1. SEIU members were joined on the picket line by members from the Minnesota Nurses Association, AFSCME Council 65, Albert Lea Education Association, Southeast Area Labor Center and the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
2. The picket was to highlight proposals brought forward by Mayo during contract negotiations, according to the union. Workers have expressed concern over proposed language that they said “takes away the voice of longtime workers.”
3. Mayo said the sticking point is not the salary or benefits being offered at the bargaining table, but rather proposed language that states Mayo has the right to alter benefits, according to a Post-Bulletin report.
“Benefit changes are not something that the organization takes lightly as changes in benefits would impact all allied health employees across the Mayo Clinic enterprise,” said Mark Ciota, MD, CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System–Albert Lea and Austin, according to the Post-Bulletin. “Our Albert Lea maintenance engineers are valued employees and we’d like them to receive the same benefits that their co-workers receive.”
4. This is at least the second picket in the last seven months as both sides attempt to reach a contract agreement.
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