© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Norwalk Hospital workers ready to strike

Rhonda Benn, center, a food service worker at Norwalk Hospital walks out of the Cornerstone Community Church on Wednesday night Aug. 09, 2023 after workers voted 45 to 3 to join a union.
Eddy Martinez
/
Connecticut Public
Rhonda Benn, a food service worker at Norwalk Hospital walks out of the Cornerstone Community Church on Wednesday night after workers voted 45 to 3 to join a union.

Food service workers at Norwalk Hospital are ready to go on strike, months after previously saying their employer Morrison Healthcare slow-walked employee contract negotiations.

Dave Hannon, president of Connecticut Health Care Associates District 1199 (CHCA), NUHHCE, said the workers prepared to walk off the job, after authorizing a strike due to what they said was Morrison Healthcare going back on its word to reinstate annual evaluations and pay raises.

“They reneged on it in writing, and we filed an unfair labor practice charge, and so this is really the reason why,” Hannon said.

The authorization vote is just the latest sign of increasingly frustrated food service workers who say their employer isn’t working in good faith to negotiate a mutually acceptable contract.

Workers previously said Morrison offered paltry pay increases. But while a strike is now a possibility, Hannon said no date has been set.

Hannon said there’s still time to avoid a strike, but that responsibility ultimately lies with Morrison.

“It's a negotiable item as far as I'm concerned, but it's all going to depend on what Morrison does,” Hannon said.

Morrison Healthcare on Tuesday said that it has a "long history of listening" to workers and "working productively" with unions.

"We look forward to continuing to meet and bargain in good faith with Connecticut Health Care Associates," Morrison Healthcare said in a statement.

The union has been negotiating a contract for close to a year, according to Hannon.

Hannon said a potential strike is increasingly likely if negotiations continue to get bogged down.

“The longer they flip-flop on these things that they promised us, and the longer it takes for them to finish the contract negotiations, I think the greater the likelihood that they're going to get fed up and decide to walk out,” Hannon said.

Hotel service workers in Greenwich and New Haven recently ended strikes over low pay and skimpy benefits.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content
Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.