When AFSCME Local 1363 members in South Florida started their reopener bargaining last year they focused on a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in line with skyrocketing inflation. But the county’s largest health care provider, Jackson Health System (JHS), had their own proposal: no increase at all.
“When management proposed a zero-pay increase when groceries prices are way up, when home insurance rates keep jumping up and on and on, we knew we were up for a hard fight,” said Elizabeth Segura, a medical secretary at JHS and the recording secretary of AFSCME Local 1363.
So, they formed a coalition with their co-workers in SEIU Local 1991 and the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU to call for a 4% COLA and unity when it came to bargaining and actions.
“We knew that at the end of the day, zero was not going to happen, but we didn’t want them to weaken our power through different offers at the bargaining table,” said Segura. “So, we made sure that we were all in the room together, at the same time, asking for the same thing — what we deserve for the work we do.”
And it wasn’t just at the bargaining table where they made their united voices heard, they also took action at worksites. In early December, the unions combined for a massive rally at Jackson’s main hospital. Workers spoke out and shared their support for the 4% COLA through tagging JHS in social media posts from the rally.
Just before Christmas, they delivered a petition to Carlos Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System, signed by workers across the county and more than 1,000 AFSCME members alone.
“We made sure we were visible at work with stickers and as much AFSCME green as we could get,” said Segura. “But the action that made the biggest difference was the members turning out every bargaining session to fill the room and show our unity. That is some strength that management won’t soon forget.”