MWMC + HHS: Bargaining Update 2
Meet your Bargaining team!
Your elected bargaining teams are ready to start negotiating our next contract! The HHS team will meet with management September 16 at the SEIU Union Hall, Suite 200, 488 E 11th Ave in Eugene. The MWMC team will meet with management on September 23 & 24 in the Rogue Room.
Stop by, pick up some swag, and Purple UP on WEDNESDAYS to show your solidarity!
UPCOMING BARGAINING DATES:
HHS
Wednesday, September 16, 10am-2pm, SEIU Hall, 488 E 11th Ave suite 200
MWMC
Wednesday, September 23, 8am-5pm, Rogue Room
Thursday, September 24, 8am-5pm, Rogue Room
WHAT’S NEXT?
1) Sign up for text and email alerts!
Be sure to use your PERSONAL email, not your work email.
2) Join our private, member-only Facebook group!
UPDATE: MWMC May Change from a For-Profit Hospital to a Nonprofit. What Does This Mean for Us?
Quorum, the owner of MWMC, wants to change from being owned by investors to being a nonprofit organization.
Who owns MWMC now? Since 2016, MWMC has been owned by a for-profit company called Quorum, headquartered in Tennessee. In 2020, Quorum went through bankruptcy and ended up with a new group of investors as owners. Now Quorum is proposing another ownership change. This time, the company says it wants to become a nonprofit.
Why do they want to change to a nonprofit? Quorum is in a lot of debt and says they can’t keep things going the way things are. Becoming a nonprofit would let them get access to cheaper prescription drugs, accept donor money and reduce what they pay in taxes. This would impact not just MWMC, but all the hospitals that Quorum owns.
What’s the process to become a nonprofit? Before the deal can move forward, Quorum must get the green light from the Oregon Health Authority and the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Because our union members speak up and are active in regulating hospitals in Oregon, the community has a voice in these processes.
Here in Oregon, we have a process where the Health Authority reviews these kinds of deals to make sure they benefit patients, workers, and communities. In the end, the Health Authority can: approve the deal as is, approve it with conditions that make sure the deal is good for Oregonians, or flat out deny it.
This review process can take anywhere from several weeks to more than a year. Quorum says it hopes the deal is completed by October 1 of this year.
How does this impact us, and what are we doing about it? Nothing is changing right now. Our day-to-day work, jobs, and responsibilities remain the same while the Health Authority reviews this deal. But we need to make sure that the deal protects the people who make MWMC run, and makes our hospital and community stronger.
Because of that, we’re recommending that the Health Authority approve the deal, with conditions. These conditions should include:
Protecting existing jobs and the current workforce.
Maintaining quality wages and benefits.
Ensuring revenue generated in Oregon is reinvested in Oregon communities by reducing the millions of dollars sent out of state to pay corporate management fees.
How can I help? SEIU Local 49 members are submitting testimony to the Oregon Health Authority about this deal. The state will consider public input as it reviews this proposal. Healthcare workers have firsthand knowledge of what patients, families, and staff need from MWMC. Share your perspective through testimony, getting involved in your union, and helping shape the future of our hospital and our upcoming contract negotiations.
Together, we can push for a transaction and contract that strengthens MWMC, protects workers, and improves patient care. We want a MWMC that invests resources in its staff, patients, and community.
How does bargaining impact this? It's important that a strong majority of our SEIU members at MWMC & HHS are involved in supporting our bargaining demands because we want to advocate for better jobs at MWMC and HHS as well as job security.
SEIU 49 Training Camp
Join SEIU 49 leaders from across our regions, industries, and job classifications for a full day of training and celebration! Together we’ll ground ourselves in our 2026 goals, build our mobilization muscles, and welcome newly organized workers from Security, Providence, and Samaritan.
