This blurb is a continuing story and an update on a previous article: “Rogers Behavioral Health Union Efforts: What Does the Future Hold?“
Last week, the court ruled that employees may vote on whether they wish to be represented by a union. The vote was held on Wednesday, April 22nd, at the West Allis location.
The vote was a success, with the vote for union representation coming in at 53 to 4 in favor of the union.
It was noted that Roger’s Behavioral Health leadership was not pleased with this decision, as they scheduled more “educational meetings on unions” and went to court to appeal the approval for a vote.
When the appeal was denied, leadership then attempted to delay the vote, but that too was denied.
Employees arrived at work and noticed three random men sitting in the parking lot and in the lobby.
The men were described as middle-aged, wearing business attire and little plastic lanyards stating “security.”
Several staff members expressed concern about these random men walking around the parking lot, as patients reported feeling uncomfortable and/or feeling watched.
After several employees expressed concern about the strangers, leadership made a comment telling staff not to worry, that the men were here at the request of management.
When leadership was asked for the reason, these men were brought in; no answer was provided.
One employee expressed frustration at the lack of communication, “Rogers kept asking us to vote no for the Union and promising that if we voted no, leadership would improve the work environment, including more transparent communication, but here they are bringing in random men for ‘security’ without giving us a heads up so we can discuss it with our clients and ensure they feel safe, not to mention, we also don’t feel safe with random men patrolling our parking lot.”
Three employees who were vocal supporters of the union were suspended throughout the voting day.
The next step for West Allis is the bargaining stage, during which the Union representatives bargain with Rogers’ leadership to create a contract.
While this is a huge win for the West Allis location, current employees report that they are still terrified of being fired or suspended, as they believe that leadership is looking for any reason to punish those who support the union.