NORWALK, Connecticut — Norwalk Hospital’s food service workers have filed a 10-day notice of their intent to strike, according to a release on Wednesday from Connecticut Health Care Associates, a union based in Wallingford.
They plan to begin the strike on Monday, Nov. 25.
CHCA notes that in September, the workers unanimously voted in favor of authorizing the bargaining committee to call a strike if Morrison Healthcare continued engaging in bad faith bargaining.
According to CHCA, the food service workers are among the hospital’s lowest paid employees. Morrison Healthcare is subcontracted to manage the hospital’s food service and posted revenues of $3.5 billion in 2022. Morrison Healthcare reportedly has more than 10,000 employees, so the revenue to employee ration is around $350,000 per employee. CHCA says Morrison Healthcare is a member of Compass Group, which Fortune Magazine recognizes as the 17th largest employer in the world.
However, food service workers at the hospital are only paid just above minimum wage. CHCA says one worker who has been employed for 24 years is only making 7 cents above minimum wage. The workers first voted to unionize in August of 2023, as they fight for a fair first contract.
CHCA says that the move by the food service workers comes after another Unfair Labor Practice Charge being filed against their employer with the National Labor Relations Board for bad faith bargaining. The charges reportedly stem from an agreement by Morrison Healthcare to resume annual employee evaluations and raises, which was later recanted. Some workers have not had evaluations or been given an opportunity for raises in years, according to CHCA.
The food service workers at Norwalk Hospital include café workers, cooks and those who make sure the patients, visitors and hospital staff are provided with nutritious food. CHCA says the workers are motivated and eager to negotiate a fair contract providing more economic stability, better benefits and fair working conditions.
Furthermore, the union says both Norwalk Hospital and Morrison Healthcare are familiar with workers unionizing, as the hospital’s nurses and healthcare workers have already done so. Food service workers affiliated with Morrison Healthcare have unionized at other locations such as Waterbury Hospital, according to CHCA.
David Hannon, president of CHCA District 1199, NUHHCE, says the workers are brave enough to say, “enough is enough,” and that they will no longer tolerate bad faith bargaining.
“These workers deserve more from Morrison, and they deserve it now,” Hannon said. “You would think the unanimous strike authorization in September would have been a wake-up call for this corporation, but the disrespect, broken promises and tone-deaf treatment of these workers continues.”
CHCA notes that the workers’ struggle has caught the attention of local officials who have previously stood with them on the picket line. These individuals include Attorney Gen. William Tong, Sen. Majority Leader Bob Duff and state Reps. Travis Simms, Dominque Johnson, Kadeem Roberts and Lucy Dathan, who represent Norwalk.
CHCA District 1199, NUHHCE, was founded in 1976 by registered nurse Mary Lou Millar, who led a similar fight. Today, it represents around 3,000 health care workers in Connecticut. CHCA is part of the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees, or NUHHCE.
CHCA says that in recent years, as workers bounce back following the COVID-19 pandemic, more healthcare employees are seeking to unionize to ensure their interests are protected and promoted in healthcare work settings.
FOX61 has reached out to Morrison Healthcare for comment and will update this story if one is received. This is a developing story, and updates will be provided when they are made available.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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