FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Hayssen, 651.261.8559
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Minneapolis, MN–Today, healthcare workers at Villa at Osseo joined United Food & Commercial Workers’ Union Local 663 as the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services certified a card check on Wednesday morning.
Workers will be in two bargaining units that include 49 full and part-time workers. One unit will be licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and the other unit will consist of certified nursing assistants (CNAs), trained medication aides (TMAs), NARs, dietary aides, and recreational services assistants.
Villa at Osseo management signed a voluntary recognition agreement with UFCW Local 663 on August 20, 2020 that recognizes the union as the exclusive representative of employees of the worker units. Union members and management will soon begin the process of good-faith collective bargaining for the first contract.
Bonnie Nyema, a nursing assistant at Villa said, “We came together to join our union because we are hoping to change the pay rate, the staffing, and instill more dignity and respect for everybody because those are the things we don’t have a voice about here now. We’re not asking for anything fancy or big, just treat us like human beings and things will go well. Now with a union we will have a voice.”
“We welcome workers at Villa at Osseo to the UFCW Local 663 union family. We’re looking forward to building a better life together as a union.
Now more than ever, it is important to join together in the workplace and form a union to protect, defend and build upon our rights in the workplace. As Tier 1 essential employees, workers at Villa at Osseo didn’t ask to be in the spotlight during the COVID-19 global pandemic, but that is exactly where we are. I admire their determination to fight together for more. Our union has a place for any worker that wants to reach higher for better wages, benefits and workplace protections,” said Matthew Utecht, president of UFCW 663.
This victory follows last week’s gains of UFCW Local 663’s members at Seward Community Co-op ratified a three year contract that guarantees $15 an hour minimum starting wage.
September 23 Update–Workers in the subcontracted housekeeping unit in Healthcare services filed separately with the NLRB and won their election to become UFCW Local 663 members as well.
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UFCW Local 663 represents more than 13,200 hard-working retail, meat packing and processing, food preparation and manufacturing, healthcare, and other workers in Minnesota and Iowa. We strive to improve the lives of our members and of all working families by fighting for economic, political, and social justice in our workplaces and communities. UFCW Local 663 is part of the 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.