Votes put an end to Mayo Clinic dispute

An agreement between Mayo Clinic and a local branch of the Service Employees International Union has been reached after two union votes that took place over the last 10 days, Post Bulletin reports.

In the first vote, 500 workers approved Mayo Clinic’s proposal to provide a financial bridge worth up to $4.5 million through the end of the year in exchange for SEIU dropping the complaint and grievance it filed in the middle of last year. With the second vote, 2,000 union members approved the clinic’s proposal to give a four-month window of “super seniority” for consideration of returning to jobs at Mayo.

The clinic’s foodservices department has been making waves since June, when it announced plans to switch vendors from Sodexo to Morrison, sparking backlash from workers and leading to a lawsuit from the SEIU.

Although the two votes put an end to the dispute between the clinic and the SEIU, dietary workers who approved this agreement remain upset at Mayo, SEIU President Jamie Gulley told Post Bulletin.

"[Foodservice employees] continue to feel that they've been thrown under the bus so Mayo can make more profits,” Gulley said. "It's sort of a new era at Mayo where people don't feel secure.”

Mayo said that the switch is part of an effort to improve patients scores and boost efficiencies.

Related:Backlash over Mayo Clinic vendor change continues

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