Written by Don Gilman
On Saturday, July 25, when the time came to make a decision on whether to strike over the lynchpin issue of Gold Cross Ambulance Service leadership refusing to allow paramedics to use direct deposit to pay for union dues, the employees had to do some heavy thinking. Not wanting to leave the City of St. George with a void in emergency services, they elected not to strike. They still chose to picket, but leaving their jobs to do so was not something anyone on either side of the issue wanted. Spencer Hogue, the business agent and secretary treasurer for the Teamsters 222 out of Salt Lake City, says they decided not to walk off the job after realizing how few replacement employees Gold Cross was planning on bringing in.
“When we met with employees, they were concerned with public safety,” Hogue said. “They were concerned the company wasn’t prepared. They only brought down 10 employees to cover the positions of 35.”
The Gold Cross employees began picketing on Saturday at approximately 3 p.m. They took up positions on the corner of River Road and St. George Boulevard, carrying signs and waving to passing motorists. Some were joined by family members. Cars honked in support.
“We got a great public response Saturday in St. George,” Hogue said. “We picked the busiest intersection. Had a lot of news coverage. I think the people responded well. We also picketed company headquarters yesterday (Tuesday) in Salt Lake. We had volunteers coming to picket.”
Five days later, the paramedics of Gold Cross of St. George remain on the job, but the stalemate remains. Hogue says that employees have given further concessions to Gold Cross, including removing the contentious issue of direct deposit of Union dues, but the company still refuses to engage in meaningful dialogue.
“When I sent them our last proposal before we got to a strike vote, they responded at 11:54 pm that night and said they weren’t prepared to respond to our proposal,” Hogue said. “The dues issue is no longer on the table. They won’t take ‘yes’ for an answer. I still have not heard from them. I sent an email asking what their position was on what they considered to be open issues…[T]he proposals were off the table. We asked for clarification, and their response was that they needed to take a look at the whole agreement again. I think they are going to go backwards on more items to drag out the process.”
Hogue also alleges that Gold Cross is engaging in intimidation tactics to scare employees.
“They are intimidating employees, calling employees that picketed,” he said. “They videotaped our picketing in Salt Lake City, which is against the law. They are breaking the law every day. They have changed working conditions while were picketing.”
Gold Cross continues to operate with a full staff. The employees, while unhappy with their working conditions, are still responding to emergencies, all the while knowing that they may lose their jobs. Hogue says that the mood of the employees is positive, despite the difficult conditions.
“I think they are incredibly fired up, encouraged from support they are getting from other employees and the public,” Hogue said. “Of course they’re worried but also very excited.”
Hogue said that two days of meetings with the National Labor Relations Board are planned for early next week to discuss allegations of illegal activity on the part of Gold Cross.
“I’m coming down on Monday and Tuesday to meet with an agent from the NLRB,” he said. “They are processing the charges. They will be getting testimony [from employees].”
Hogue also says that the actions of Gold Cross were not a surprise.
“We knew it was coming, and we’re going to pour all our resources into this,” he said. “We’ve got an electronic billboard going up in Salt Lake City, we are buying newspaper advertising.”
The Independent will continue to follow this story.
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