Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea employees who participated in a one-day strike Tuesday outside the Albert Lea hospital unsuccessfully tried to return to work Wednesday

The employees are members of Service Employees International Union Health Care Minnesota, which represents about 80 people who work as certified nursing assistants, housekeepers, sterile processing and utilities and materials management workers, as well as a half dozen skilled maintenance employees in Albert Lea.

The workers were met outside the door at about 6 a.m. by other Mayo employees who did not allow them to return to work.

While still in the area of the working employees, the out-of-work employees started chanting, “What do we want? Contract!” “When do we want it? Now!” before returning to picketing on the public sidewalk in front of the hospital.

Mayo Clinic has consistently stated employees who participated in the one-day strike would not be able to return to work for at least one week because of the standard one-week contract the hospital system must sign with replacement workers.

Immediately after returning to picket Tuesday, Mayo materials management employee Charlotte Nelson-Shocker questioned the hospital system’s statements that it is a community partner.

“I think it’s a sad day, especially for Mayo, because it does not show that they are — they’re always saying, ‘We’re here for the patient and the people’ — well, it shows that they’re not here for the people,” she said. 

Nelson-Shocker said she told at-work employees outside the hospital they would stand together and would “fall” if they were divided.

The strike came after SEIU objected to a clause that union benefits could change in accordance with a change in benefits for non-unionized employees, a part of the contract Mayo said is in place for other employees.

Workers who were on strike Monday discussed their apprehension about language they said would allow for subcontracting services.

Mayo Clinic spokeswoman Ginger Plumbo said SEIU initially proposed the language regarding subcontracting before reneging on the language other contracts have, calling it “a complete 180 on their own actions.”

“It was not contentious until they reneged on it,” she said.

Minnesota DFL candidates for governor denounced Mayo’s approach in the bargaining process Tuesday, during the strike, and the hospital system received more negative feedback Wednesday.

During a program late Wednesday morning, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said though Mayo provides excellent care and treated his mother well before she died, the hospital system needs to treat its employees better.

“I thank you for standing up for dignity,” he said.

“I’m here in sympathy with the workers here at Mayo,” Simon said after the program. “I have great respect for Mayo as an institution … it’s not about Mayo, but Mayo is people, and you gotta treat your people right.

“And you’re not going to be able to provide the kind of care my mother had unless you treat your own people with respect. And I think Mayo is making a mistake, and I want to save Mayo from making an even bigger mistake.”

Ryan Winkler, candidate for Minnesota attorney general, said Wednesday in a press release  workers “picketed to protest strong-arm tactics by a giant medical institution to limit pay and benefits for workers.

“I was proud to join them,” he said. .

Winkler discussed his conversation with a long-time Mayo employee who said she is no longer proud to work at the hospital because of their recent treatment of workers.

“This afternoon, Mayo will have to decide if they will follow through on their threat to lock out these workers during Christmas,” he said.

“This is unacceptable considering its CEO (John Noseworthy) makes $3 million per year. We pay their taxes and have provided generous tax subsidies besides.”

In the press release, Winkler discussed hospital consolidations statewide and said they can cause higher health care costs, fewer choices and less local control.

He said the attorney general’s office can investigate future mergers to help prevent mergers that harm communities.

Plumbo said in an email Tuesday SEIU leadership is “putting its own agenda ahead of the well-being of their members, our hardworking employees.”

“By deliberately setting a strike date during Christmas week, they have subjected our employees to needless anxiety and lost wages,” she said.

Plumbo took issue with union members stating their displeasure with being out of work until Tuesday because of the contract the hospital signed with replacement workers.

“No one has been taken by surprise by this situation, and it is disturbing to see SEIU leaders pretend otherwise,” she said. “The responsibility for our valued employees being out of work over the holiday rests squarely with SEIU leaders, who choose to strike rather than bargain in good faith, and chose to call a strike this time of year.”

Mayo housekeeping employee Shannon Dawson said the hospital system did not accept signed documents from workers who participated in the one-day strike that stated that they would be willing to return to work today.

“They said we had been been notified quite a while back that our return date would be (Tuesday),” she said.

SEIU used the term “lock out” to describe the hospital system’s refusal to allow workers to return to work, drawing the ire of Plumbo, who said the term is used to describe company management initiating the denial of employment for workers. 

“They made the decision to stop work,” Plumbo said. “This is not a lock out.”

A Dec. 28 meeting is planned for the approximately 80-member general service group, while as of this morning, another meeting date had not been set for the half dozen maintenance employees who have been without a contract for more than two years.

Mayo and SEIU both have Unfair Labor Practice complaints pending with the National Labor Relations Board.

“Mayo has been waiting since May for SEIU to return to the bargaining table,” Plumbo said. “A meeting was finally scheduled for Dec. 28, but SEIU still directed its members to strike before we’ve even resumed talks.

“We believe our employees deserve a fair contract that maintains the good wages and benefits they receive. We hope SEIU will return to the bargaining table with a commitment to good-faith bargaining in order to reach an agreement.”

SEIU described the situation as the first of its kind in the state in a press release following the attempt by workers to return to work.

“Mayo has decided to value replacement workers from outside of the community over dedicated employees with hundreds of years experience, including multiple (people) who have worked at the hospital for a quarter century,” the union said in a press release. “They made this decision even though it meant a Christmas lockout that would upend the lives of families in the heart of the holiday season.”

According to the union, community allies and supportive unions raised money to ensure every worker impacted by the situation will receive the money they would have had if they were at work.

“If Mayo won’t support and value these dedicated workers, their union and the community will,” the press release said.

Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea hospital workers who have been locked out by Mayo through Christmas will travel to Rochester Thursday for a picket at the Gonda building that houses Mayo Clinic’s headquarters. Around 3:15 p.m., workers will deliver a Christmas present to Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. John Noseworthy from the families impacted by the lockout.