Veterans Hospital maintenance workers vote to unionize
By THE STAR STAFF
Employees of GEMA Contractors Services, the company responsible for exterior cleaning and grounds maintenance at the San Juan Veterans Hospital, have voted overwhelmingly in favor of union representation by the Puerto Rican Workers Union (SPT by its initials in Spanish), Local 1996 SEIU.
The vote, which was conducted over a two-week period, ended with 90% of ballots cast supporting union representation, union officials said. The result paves the way for workers to begin negotiations for their first collective bargaining agreement.
SPT President Israel Marrero Calderín said the outcome marks a significant step in the employees’ efforts to secure improved working conditions and stronger workplace protections.
“With this result, GEMA employees join the vast majority of workers at the Veterans Hospital who already have union representation and benefit from those protections,” Marrero Calderín said. “The next step is for the employer to recognize the outcome and begin negotiating our first collective bargaining agreement in good faith.”
The workers are employed by GEMA Contractors Services, which provides contracted maintenance services at the federally operated medical facility in San Juan.
Marrero Calderín said the union will now convene GEMA employees to select members of a bargaining committee that will represent workers during contract negotiations with management.
The union said it intends to pursue a prompt negotiating process aimed at establishing a first labor agreement that addresses workers’ concerns and guarantees fair employment conditions.
The vote expands union representation among personnel working at the Veterans Hospital, where most employees are already represented by labor organizations, according to the SPT.
Neither GEMA Contractors Services nor hospital officials immediately commented on the voting results. The company is expected to formally recognize the outcome before collective bargaining can begin.
