Essentia Miller Dwan Negotiations Begin

The parties met for their initial negotiation session today.  While the Union was looking forward to a return to our previously collaborative and productive relationship, Essentia’s phrase of the day was “we’re not interested in that at this time.” At issue are wages, benefits, vacation scheduling, and even whether or not the Union negotiating team should be provided with benefit hours while they’re negotiating, which flies in the face of the past 20 years of negotiating with this employer. 
The parties meet again on May 29 and the Union is hopeful that the spring thaw will have come to the icy heart of Essentia.