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Union member urges Janesville council to press Mercy Clinic amid ongoing strike at Clinic East
Summary
During public comment on Sept. 8, a UAW member said Mercy Clinic East has been on strike for over two months and urged the council to demand Mercy negotiate in good faith, citing service disruptions and staffing shortages.
Enrique Casiano, a member of UAW Local 95 Unit 12, urged the Janesville Common Council during public comment on Sept. 8 to press Mercy Clinic executives to negotiate with striking workers at Mercy Clinic East.
Casiano said health-care workers at Clinic East had been on strike for more than two months and described the situation as a public-health crisis, saying patients were waiting longer and clinics were short-staffed. He criticized Mercy executives for citing projected losses as justification for their offers and contrasted that figure with a $1.5 million naming-rights donation the council approved previously for the Woodman Sports and Convention Center.
Casiano asked council members to demand Mercy “sit down with their workers and negotiate in good faith,” saying continued disruption was harming patients and workers. He also referenced recent state facility ratings, saying Mercy was not among five-star facilities cited in news coverage.
Neil Dupree, who identified himself as a member of Janesville’s Diversity Action Team and as a Fourth Ward resident, also spoke in support of the Hispanic community during public comment and encouraged council and residents to stand with neighbors facing immigration-related fears. Dupree’s remarks were general expressions of support rather than requests for council action on Mercy.
City rules limit public comment to non-agenda items and the speakers’ remarks did not result in any direct council action during the meeting.
