DAYTON — CareFlight nurses and union leaders were on the ground, protesting outside Miami Valley Hospital for faster union contract negotiations.
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They voted the union in almost a year ago, but still don’t have a contract. They believe Premier Health management is dragging its feet, but hospital leaders do not agree.
“The things that we’re asking for are things that people should have: safety, transparency,” Nicole Coleman, CareFlight Union President, said. “All the things that make the program great are things we want.”
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As shown on News Center 7 at 5:30, Lisa McPhillips was spotted at the gathering. She is one of three employees on board a CareFlight helicopter when it went down in Butler County in 2022.
She told News Center 7 the incident felt like a crash, and not a hard landing.
McPhillips had worked for Premier Health for six years when the crash happened. The injuries and the disagreements over her healthcare coverage caused her to separate from the company and forced her to use workers’ compensation.
“We’ve had a lot of difficulty getting things covered and getting some pay,” McPhillips said. “I’m not getting paid or getting anything covered right now.”
Premier Health leaders spoke to News Center 7 months ago, emphasizing that they are not anti-union.
The sent News Center 7’s Mike Campbell this statement on Friday:
Our organization is deeply committed to upholding our core values of respect, integrity, compassion, authenticity, and excellence. We believe in fostering an environment built on direct, two-way communication, where we understand and address the daily realities of our caregivers’ needs.
Premier Health continues to negotiate in good faith with United Auto Workers for a labor contract covering CareFlight nurses and medics. We have met with the union nearly 20 times and have two additional sessions planned between now and the end of July.
We will continue to work together productively with the common interest of fulfilling our vision of serving our patients and sustaining a culture of mutual support.
— Premier Health
CareFlight employees told News Center 7 that their main concern is patient safety, followed by employee safety.
“I don’t think they want to share the power, they don’t want us to have a voice,” Coleman said.
Hospital leaders said they’ve met with union leaders almost 20 times and have two more sessions scheduled before the end of July.
CareFlight leaders said they have agreements on less than half of the contract issues the two sides are discussing.
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