Lutheran Hospital: Ongoing Union Negotiations and Patient Care Updates

Our Commitment

We value all of our caregivers at Lutheran Hospital and recognize this is a difficult situation for caregivers and their families. We remain committed to continuing good-faith negotiations with the union to reach an agreement.

Patient Care and Hospital Operations

Patient care and safety remain our top priorities.

Lutheran Hospital remains fully staffed and continues to provide all inpatient care, appointments and scheduled procedures without disruption.

Patient care and operations are being supported by additional caregivers from across the Cleveland Clinic health system.

Benefits Eligibility Information

Beginning Oct. 1, some caregivers will no longer meet eligibility requirements for active employee benefits because they have not worked their scheduled shifts.

Impacted caregivers will receive information about COBRA continuation coverage and other available coverage options.

Hospital Workforce Facts

Lutheran Hospital employs approximately 800 caregivers. Nearly 200 caregivers are represented by the union.

Approximately half of union-represented caregivers continue to work their scheduled shifts, while approximately half are on strike.

Drug Policy

Cleveland Clinic is committed to patient safety, caregiver well-being, and maintaining a drug-free workplace through measures such as its random drug testing program, which helps ensure safe and reliable patient care. We do not tolerate drug use in the workplace.

For the past 10 years, SEIU-represented caregivers, like all Cleveland Clinic caregivers, have been subject to random drug testing. Unfortunately, the union wants to discontinue this long-standing safety measure. Cleveland Clinic believes maintaining random drug testing is important to supporting a safe environment for patients, visitors and caregivers.

Permanent Replacements Employees

Lutheran Hospital respects employees’ right to strike and remains focused on safe, uninterrupted patient care. As the strike continues, the hospital may need to hire permanent replacements as permitted under federal law to support consistent, long-term staffing and patient care. Employees whose positions are filled would remain Lutheran Hospital employees and be placed on a preferential recall list.

We value all Lutheran Hospital caregivers and remain committed to good-faith negotiations with the union to reach an agreement.