Teamsters 856 radiology technicians at St. Rose Hospital have a little something extra to celebrate with this holiday season thanks to the vigilance of their union bargaining team.
While in negotiations earlier this year, the 856 team, led by union representative Matthew Mullany, discovered that the hospital had failed to pay overtime and differentials to radiology techs who worked a particular shift on their sixth day in a row.
Management acknowledged the error, and Mullany worked with them to calculate what the each of the affected techs was owed.
“I’m happy that we were able to resolve this issue in a collaborative fashion with hospital management to make things right for our members,” said Mullany.
In all, more than $44,000 was awarded to the technicians, representing three years’ backpay.
Teamster Techs Retain Jobs
When Teamsters 856 Member Teresa Jue learned that the Women’s Imaging Center at St. Rose Hospital was being sold, she was devastated. The mammography technologist has spent nearly all of her 35 years at St. Rose working at the Center and has been there since its inception.
“I was worried about the community that St. Rose serves and what would happen to our staff,” she said. “We serve a lot of low-income, non-English speaking patients, and the Women’s Imaging Center provides mammograms and bone density tests in a private, calming, and friendly environment for them.”
Jue said the Center’s spa-like atmosphere helps to ease the anxiety that cancer screenings can trigger.
“Mammograms can be an intimidating experience, so as staff we make sure that we’re welcoming and compassionate, from the receptionists to the technologists,” she said.
The change in ownership could have had substantial repercussions for the tight-knit group of Teamsters at the Center, so when Jue, along with union representatives Mark Dierking and Matthew Mullany, sat down with management to negotiate the effects of the sale, they made sure to cover all their bases.
The team reached what Jue calls a “miraculous” agreement that secures radiology positions for the Center’s technologists at the main hospital without loss of pay and gives technologists opportunities to work at the Women’s Imaging Center under its new ownership in order to maintain their mammography licensure, a very important point to Jue.
“Mammography is my passion, I wanted to make sure that I could satisfy the requirements to keep my license. Not having to go elsewhere to do so is a huge relief,” she said.
In addition, the agreement states that co-pays for St. Rose Teamsters who use the Women’s Imaging Center for their personal medical needs will remain the same cost as if the Center was operated by St. Rose.
“We are so lucky to have a strong union that gives us such a powerful voice,” said Jue. “Local 856 really takes care of its members. I’m very grateful to our representatives,” she said.