To UIHC Leadership:
It has been just a few months since the transition from Mercy Hospital to UIHC Medical Center Downtown and unfortunately, the employees of MCD have suffered unfair treatment during this change. One of the most concerning issues that has arisen is the blatant disregard for the years of experience MCD employees served under Mercy that has not been appropriately recognized under UIHC ownership. This affects the staff at MCD in multiple ways:
- That staff who have, through no action of their own other than choosing to stay in their job, essentially have become employees with a probationary period and thus have no real job security. The University has failed to provide adequate training and onboarding of MCD employees (and at the time of writing this petition, have no plans in place to do so). MCD employees could consequently lose their job if they unknowingly breach University policy.
- That staff who have demonstrated commitment to working at this facility, even through the transition, have no seniority and are considered new employees, affecting vacation time approval and consideration when applying for new jobs within the health system. For example, someone who has worked at Mercy IC for 30 years now has the same level of priority for time off as someone who only started in December or January.
- That staff accrue vacation time in an unfair manner, with employees who have over 6 years of seniority earning 72 hours more than new employees per year.
SEIU members at UIHC are asking for more equitable treatment for our new colleagues at the Medical Center Downtown and consideration of their years of valuable experience and loyalty to continuing to provide excellent care to patients in the community. We request:
- Respect and credit for the time served under Mercy ownership by using Mercy seniority dates to calculate vacation time accrual rates, determine vacation request approvals by seniority, and to no longer be treated as probationary employees.
- Full training on UIHC policies, standards of practice, and expectations.
The service and experience of the staff at MCD should not be discounted and the loyalty of the staff who transitioned to UIHC should be fairly recognized.
Signed with conviction,