Schroeder Discusses High-Stakes Contract Talks During Pandemic

Partner Don Schroeder was quoted in a Law360 article, “High-Stakes Contract Talks Spark Labor Actions in Pandemic,” about the effects the COVID-19 crisis is having on labor negotiations.

Schroeder, who represents health care employers in contract negotiations with workers, said clients have increasingly turned to mediators for help as talks stall over big asks by nurses’ unions. The unions have demanded higher staffing levels and guarantees they won’t be laid off – commitments health networks are hard-pressed to make amid postponements of money-making elective surgeries and uncertainty about federal reimbursements, he said.

“They are also engaging in more significant efforts at attempting to drum up community support,” he said. “Whether that’s a function of the pandemic, it seems to be that they are attempting to sway public support in their favor.”