Mayo Clinic decision strikes nerve with workers, community

[Omaha Steve]

An ad in Wednesday's Rochester Post-Bulletin (a portion of which is shown here) profiles Mayo Clinic workers with years of experience.

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/articles/mayo-clinic-decision-strikes-nerve-workers-community

By Barb Kucera, Workday Minnesota
July 28, 2016

ROCHESTER
One of Minnesota’s best-known companies and major employers – Mayo Clinic – is facing criticism for its plan to subcontract food service operations to an Atlanta-based conglomerate. Workers and community members have signed petitions objecting to the move at the same time that Mayo seeks millions in public dollars to support its “destination medical center.”

Mayo’s announcement one month ago that it planned to contract with Morrison Healthcare caught employees by surprise, the workers said. Some 600 employees across Minnesota will be affected, including about 350 in Rochester and others in Austin, Albert Lea, Mankato and Fairmont, according to their union, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota (link is external).

Many of the workers have decades of experience in their jobs. On Wednesday, the union took out an ad in the Rochester Post-Bulletin (link is external), highlighting six of the workers with tenures ranging from 36 to 43 years.

“If Mayo outsources dietary jobs, will the next generation making food for Mayo patients and staff be able to reach 40 years of service to the Rochester community?” they ask. The advertisement is the third placed by the union in recent weeks.

FULL story at link.


Rochester workers hold up a full-page ad in the Post Bulletin calling on Mayo Clinic to stop outsourcing good paying jobs. Photo courtesy SEIU Healthcare Minnesota via Facebook