Workers, Management at Iowa's Largest Hospital Still Looking for Agreement

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Workers and management at Iowa's largest hospital are still trying to find common ground on a new contract.

Another round of talks between University of Iowa Health Care and its union takes place Thursday afternoon, marking their second meeting behind closed doors.

The union has expressed frustration with the talks so far while negotiators for the hospital have not made public comments.

The medical center handles the most complex surgeries in the state and has been heavily involved with COVID-19 vaccines new being used across the country.

The union wants a pay increase for nurses and staff, claiming they make less than workers at similar hospitals. The union also says turnover at the hospital doubled in 2020 during the pandemic.

Contract negotiations were expected to last for several weeks between the union (SEIU) and the Iowa Regents, which oversees the hospital. Negotiations began on January 13th.

The union represents 4,000 nurses and staff members at University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City, which is the state's largest medical center and is recognized as a research hospital.

The contract talks take place Thursday at 3:30 pm.


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