At a press conference and rally outside the main University of Florida Health Jacksonville hospital last week, members of two AFSCME Florida locals called on their employer to return to the bargaining table. 

Last month, AFSCME Local 1328, whose members are food service and other support workers, and AFSCME Local 1781, whose members include nurses and other front-line health care workers (AFSCME Florida), filed unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against UF Health Jacksonville over their refusal to bargain in good faith.  

After just three bargaining sessions, management declared an impasse and is moving forward with major changes that threaten paid time off, benefits and pay, all while the current contract is still in effect. 

Lindsay Stephens, a registered nurse, emphasized how important bargaining sessions are.  

“Bargaining helps balance the corporate needs of UF Health and their human employees,” said Stephens. “But UF Health’s leadership doesn’t seem to understand that anymore. They think that if they can’t get what they want, they should stop trying and act like this hospital and this community is the exact same as every other UF Health facility.” 

Members say UF Health is unilaterally trying to make changes for its employees across many sites statewide, though each facility has its own collective bargaining agreement with its workers and its patients have different needs.  

The changes that UF Health is imposing will disproportionately affect UF Health Jacksonville workers and will have a direct impact on patient care by making it harder to attract and retain the staff at that location, AFSCME members say.  

Ramon Williams, a respiratory therapist, said: “We need to be able to retain staff because experience is key to units functioning well, keeping these buildings going and keeping us safe.” 

The changes are especially unnecessary in light of UF Health Jacksonville’s financial health, including more than $100 million in support for the UF system, including the hospital, from the City of Jacksonville, members say.  

Mary Blocker-Williams, a patient care associate, said she and her co-workers are being treated like “pieces in a machine.” 

“They want to change when and how we can take time off to be with our families,” said Blocker-Williams. “They want to change the security of our retirement after years devoted to our shared mission.” 

Michael Jowers, a surgical technician, said that AFSCME members who work for UF Health-Jacksonville are there because they are interested in one thing: caring for patients. And for their service to their community, they deserve to be treated better.   

“On behalf of all of my co-workers here and the many, many more who are at work right now serving this community, I am calling on my employer to step up, return to the bargaining table and treat us with respect,” said Jowers.