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Congresswoman steps into GE HealthCare labor dispute at Aurora plant
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown sent a letter Thursday urging GE HealthCare’s chief executive to bargain in good faith with union workers at its Aurora manufacturing plant, wading into a labor dispute that has dragged on for more than 18 months.
The Warrensville Heights Democrat’s letter to CEO Peter J. Arduini says she has heard from constituents about “prolonged delays and a lack of meaningful progress at the bargaining table.” She urges the company to “engage in regular and meaningful good-faith negotiations” and reach “a fair first contract in a timely manner.”
Brown’s letter says she does not seek to dictate the outcome of the talks but that after 18 months, workers “deserve a consistent, constructive, and good-faith bargaining process.”
About 130 workers at the Aurora facility, who manufacture coils used in MRI machines, voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1363 in January 2025. They have been negotiating their first contract ever since.
The union went public with its complaints in an Aug. 4 statement accusing GE HealthCare of bad-faith bargaining. IAM International President Brian Bryant wrote in letters to Ohio’s congressional delegation that the company “refuses to meet to bargain on a regular schedule” and “refused to provide any economic proposals until just two weeks ago — and those proposals were regressive, lowering wages below the employees’ current rates of pay, slashing PTO and increasing healthcare costs for the workers and their families.”
The union has filed two unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging failure to negotiate in good faith. Montana Hayes, a production associate and member of the Local 1363 negotiations committee, said in the union’s statement: “We just want GE HealthCare to respect our rights, bargain fairly, and recognize the value of the workers who make this company successful.”
GE HealthCare reported more than $2 billion in net income last year, according to its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.