(Corrects to show federal mediator, not hospital management, contacted union to set up bargaining session.)
WARREN - Union and management labor contract bargainers at Trumbull Memorial Hospital are scheduled to return to the table at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Magnuson Grand Hotel in Howland for a negotiating session, union leaders said Thursday.
Service Employees International Union administrative organizer Mary Ann Hupp said she received a phone call from a federal mediator about the session just before the union's town hall meeting at the Steelworkers hall, which drew about 25.
Hupp, who said the union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the hospital for failure to bargain, said the meeting is the only one set.
Workers in the 400-member union, along with the public, can attend the open bargaining session, she said.
The two sides met May 8, shortly before the contract extension expired at the end of May 11. The contract expired March 31.
One sticking point for the union is the hospital's demands for as many as 36 furlough days a year.
Speakers including state Rep. Bob Hagan, D-Youngstown, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-Canfield, and community leader Bill Mullane stressed the importance of maintaining quality of care at the hospital, along with the economic impact on area businesses from increasing the number of furlough days.
Hospital management has issued statements that its "top priority is the care and safety of our patients, employees and visitors."
It also has said it has made a "fair and competitive contract proposal which included pay increases and a provision to staff for quality care based on patient census."
Another key issue is higher health care costs for workers whose blood pressure, cholesterol and other health measures don't fall within a range required for lower premiums.