Equitas Health Workers Win First Union Contract
Equitas Health Workers United (EHWU), a union representing more than 200 frontline client-facing employees at fifteen Equitas Health locations across Ohio, ratified their first collective bargaining agreement today with a 96.3% majority. The union contract includes a wage increase, a signing bonus, a binding grievance and arbitration process, a labor-management committee with direct participation from the Board of Trustees, and more. Equitas Health is one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS-serving healthcare organizations.
“We started organizing our union three years ago because we are committed to providing our clients with the best care possible, and we couldn’t do that while management was making poor decisions without input from staff who work directly with clients,” said Breann Smith, a Medical Case Manager at the Newark office and a member of the EHWU bargaining team. “That’s why we prioritized contract language that gives us different ways to have an impact on the decisions that affect our work and our clients’ care.”
The contract guarantees that workers will have a voice in regularly held labor-management meetings, which is a collaborative problem-solving committee with equal representation from workers and management. The contract also mandates that a Board of Trustees member must participate in these meetings semi-annually, ensuring that the Board is fully aware of important workplace issues. Additionally, by providing “just cause” protection and a binding grievance and arbitration process, workers will be able to speak up without fear of retaliation from management.