After years of bargaining, CGH Medical Center employees seek city support in union negotiations

STERLING – Four years after winning the right to unionize, CGH Medical Center employees are still fighting for a collective bargaining agreement.

The labor union on Monday night took that fight to the Sterling City Council to gain city leaders’ support in the quest for a contract. Members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 urged the council to pass a resolution showing its support for CGH management to quickly reach an agreement with the union.

The resolution was only for presentation and no action was taken by the City Council. Mayor Diana Merdian said a copy of the resolution would be forwarded to CGH’s board of directors.

CGH medical technologist Shelly Houzenga has been a member of the union negotiation team for more than three years and made the request for support on behalf of the union. She said CGH has continued to delay reaching a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME and spent $1.7 million in attorneys’ fees related to its efforts to fight the establishment of the union and “silence voices.”

“This is about supporting front-line workers of this city-owned hospital that directly provides care for the members of this committee,” Houzenga said. “Please, I beg you, consider showing your support to resolve this conflict by passing the proposed resolution.”

In late 2019, employees at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, led by Council 31 of the AFSCME, began efforts to unionize. The union filed petitions after months of organizing, claiming majority support among staff.

CGH objected, alleging fraud and coercion in collecting union cards, and argued that certain employees, including a specialty nurse group and an electronic medical records trainer, should be excluded from the bargaining unit.

However, in 2021, a state labor judge dismissed most of CGH’s objections for lack of evidence, agreeing only that the EMR trainer should be excluded from the union. Following that decision, AFSCME urged CGH to accept the ruling and certify the union.

Almost 1,000 employees, including nurses, CNAs, phlebotomists and other health workers, supported the unionization to secure better pay, fair treatment and a stronger voice in patient care. At that time, CGH leadership said it still was considering the next steps, prioritizing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Union supporters emphasized that forming a union would strengthen the hospital and improve service to the community.

However, after the union was officially certified by the Illinois Labor Relations Board in 2021, tensions between the hospital and the union continued.

Melissa Greschke is a nurse who has worked at CGH for the past 13 years. She said she was not initially interested in unionizing, feeling confident she had a good rapport with CGH leadership and co-workers, until recently filing for an intermittent Family Medical Leave Act absence due to a health condition.

“CGH not only expressed disapproval with the fact I might need to use FMLA, but moved me, against my wishes, to the flow pool,” Greschke said, visibly upset and moved to tears. “I had not taken any leave. At this point, I was moved at the possibility of using my protected leave. I did not want or need to take a lesser position, but because I exercised my right by law to protect its lead, I have been punished by management at CGH. This has turned my world upside down.”

“CGH is a city-owned hospital, and our job is to take care of the health care needs of our community, yet employees aren’t allowed to have health issues,” Greschke said. “Unfortunately, my story is one of many. My situation only illustrates how badly employees need representation and what they call a seat at the table.”

Over the past few years, the union and CGH have filed multiple complaints against each other, including an issue involving a December 2019 letter from CGH President and CEO Paul Steinke.

[ Union members protest lack of contract at CGH, two years after certification ]

Administrative Law Judge Anna Hamburg-Gal ruled in March 2022 that the letter, published by Shaw Local in print and online, violated state labor laws. The letter provided detailed instructions on how employees could revoke their union support and included disparaging remarks about the union, claiming it would waste dues and harm relationships with management.

Hamburg-Gal found that the letter was coercive, discouraging employees from maintaining union membership and encouraging them to report revocation to human resources. The letter came out just before Gov. JB Pritzker strengthened state labor laws.

Although CGH argued the union’s complaint was filed too late, the judge proceeded with the case, siding with the union.

[  Judge: CGH Medical Center violated labor law during unionization efforts ]

Shaw Local reached out to Steinke for comment about the union’s presentation at the council meeting. A member of CGH’s media relations team replied with the following statement from representatives of CGH Medical Center:

”Illinois law severely limits what public employers can say on bargaining matters. Subsequently, while we continue to bargain in good faith, we have no further comment."