Ohio State health care workers unionize, fight for fair wages and increased staffing?

Kate Shields
Tue, 09 Jan 2024 01:06:46 +0000
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Patient care associates and psychiatric care technicians at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center have voted to unionize. Credit: Lantern File Photo?

Nearly 1,000 health care workers at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center have voted to unionize, joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers which is one of the largest industrial trade unions in North America, according to IAM.?

The election took place between Dec. 5 and Dec. 19, 2023, according to a news release by IAM, with the counting of ballots concluding Jan. 3. Those represented include patient care associates and psychiatric care technicians according to IAM, and they join over 4,000? registered nurses that are already unionized through the Ohio State University Nurses Association, the local sector of the Ohio Nurses Association.?

“Alongside my colleagues, we came together knowing that we deserve to be heard to have a better quality of life for ourselves and others surrounding us,” Lyndsee Cody, a patient care associate at the medical center, said in a news release. “Having a union at OSU will strengthen us as a team and as a whole alongside the nurses. I am looking forward to our future with the IAM.”?

According to IAM, Ali Rhodes, an IAM organizing department grand lodge representative, along with her colleagues, began working toward creating this union over a year ago.?

“The resilience and unity demonstrated by the Patient Care Associates at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has been nothing short of inspiring,” Rhodes said in a news release.?

The PCAs are “fighting for workplace safety measures, increased staffing levels, and fair wages and benefits,” according to IAM.?

“The victory by the dedicated healthcare professionals at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center is a testament to the strength of the group and their commitment to respect and dignity in the workplace,” Vinny Addeo, IAM chief of staff to the international president said in a news release.