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>> Leading up to this Labor
Day picket lines in

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Janesville. That's where
more than 130 health care

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workers are on strike. In a
contract dispute with

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Mercyhealth. The workers
are members of UAW local 95.

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Local 95. President Judy
McRoberts joins us now. And

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thanks very much for being
here, Judy.

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>> So this strike started
July 2nd and is now coming

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into month three. Why are
your members on strike?

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>> Well, one of their main
concerns is safety. And the

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security of of their
building and themselves and

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the patients. The. We have
an urgent care in this

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building, and it's open
until the evening. And

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we've had people out in the
parking lot panhandling and

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asking for rides and so on.
And it's scary for the

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women who are leaving this,
this facility at night.

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We've also had some one of
our nurses come in for an

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urgent care shift and went
to the break room. And

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here's somebody was sitting
had was staying in the

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break room. And so that we
there was no security in

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the building. And that's
not only unsafe for

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employees, that's unsafe
for our patients. We've

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asked for at least security
cameras or security cameras,

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security officers to be in
the building to in the

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morning and at least in the
evening to make sure the

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building is secure and
people can get out safely.

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>> Why is it proving so
hard to settle with

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Mercyhealth over, over that
issue?

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>> I have no idea. But one
thing I do want to point

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out is the first day that
we had our pickets set up,

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our peaceful picketing
picket line was that have

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had no problems whatsoever.
They've had security out

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there for their people
coming in the building and

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worrying about their
building being vandalized,

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which is pretty sad.
>> Are there issues around

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pay and benefits as well,
or is it most specifically

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about safety?
>> They did it for for a

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wage increase. But the the
wage increase that they

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asked for is barely cost.
The cost of everything

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that's gone up in our
country. Everybody sees

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that. But also they raised
their their premiums for

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their mercy care health
insurance, which is their

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their insurance, Mercy's
insurance. And they raised

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the rates and with with the,
with with the wage increase

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it barely covers. We're not
asking for anything that's

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unreasonable. We're just
asking for a fair agreement.

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And the last agreement, the
last negotiations we had,

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they actually offered us
less than they they offered

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in the in the initial
negotiations, which is a

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slap in the face.
>> The issues that you're

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pressing, common concerns
among health care workers

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generally.
>> I believe so. They've

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had several issues at the
hospitals that people have

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been unruly. I mean, what
what happens if you're in

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an urgent care at night and
somebody becomes unruly? I

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mean, you have nobody there.
You know, most of those

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people are not equipped to
fight off someone who's

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it's a common thing that
security should be, should

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be, should be in medical
facilities everywhere.

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>> What about for your
striking members? How are

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they faring? As as the
weeks go on?

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>> They are they are
they're concerned, but

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they're not willing to give
up the fight. We're 95%

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union facility. And like I
said, we're just looking

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for a fair agreement. We're
not asking for anything.

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Unbelievable. I mean, we
we're talking about a CEO

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in a nonprofit that is
making $13 million a year

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and has 12 vice presidents
that are making $450,000 a

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year, plus their perks.
That's that's that's

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horrible. When you don't
want to pay these people a

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decent living rate where
living wage.

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>> Judy McRoberts President
of local 95. Thanks very