University of Utah Health workers announce union

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — University of Utah Health workers announced they have formed a union in response to growing concerns about staffing levels, wages, and benefits.

They said in a press release Tuesday that unionizers included hundreds of nurses, residents, EMTs, medical assistants, pharmacists, physician assistants, valets, schedulers, and other workers throughout the University of Utah Health System.

"Our union was formed by and for frontline healthcare workers, who want an independent voice to advocate for ourselves and our patients," the press release stated.

MORE: U of U Health ranks in top 10 nationally for quality for 14th year in a row

Union organizers said they are pushing for better pay and benefits, along with improved staffing levels. They said previous efforts by the university to address their concerns have been "insufficient," and that the topics of wages and staffing are "explicitly off limits in many University listening sessions."

"We’re not being listened to, we’re not being heard, and we’re not seeing real change," Angie Maynard, a nurse, told KUTV 2News on Tuesday afternoon. "So this is the next step."

"In the pandemic, we were asked to step up and we stepped up [with] zero complaints," added fellow nurse Maeve Kammerer, "and now it’s their turn to step up for us."

Lena Lander, another registered nurse, told KUTV 2News she hopes by forming a union, "we can actually have a seat at the table and start constructive, good-faith conversations with the U to make our voices heard and make the changes that we think are imperative not just for employees but for the whole system to be better."

Late Tuesday afternoon, University of Utah Health officials released the following statement:

At University of Utah Health our primary goal is always the well-being of our patients and teams. We are happy to talk with team members who have concerns about their work environment. We have not received notification about the formation of a union.

U of U Health works hard to be a preferred employer and to take care of one another just as we take care of our patients. This year every employee received an annual pay increase and we regularly review local and national compensation data to ensure we’re competitive with our peers. We focus on the retention of our talented care teams and routinely meet with them to better understand their needs.

U of U Health is prohibited from recognizing organizations for purposes of collective bargaining. That said, we are committed to transparency, to listening, and to collaboration. We welcome the opportunity to work together with our teams to continually improve working environments and to discuss any concerns.

_____