Welcome back message to Local 39 engineers

The following message was sent to IUOE Operating Engineers – Local 39 on Friday, Dec. 17 from Debora Catsavas, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, KFHP/H; and Darin Tankersley, PhD, Chief of Medical Center Administration and Operations, TPMG.

To Our Valued Engineers,

Welcome back — we are pleased to have you back at work and part of the team. We appreciate that this has been a challenging time for you, so upon getting the offer from the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 39 of an unconditional return to work and an end to the strike, we responded promptly, as it is also our desire that you return to work.

While the end of the strike does not mean we have a contract agreement with Local 39, we remain fully committed to negotiating with the union in good faith to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. As you may know by now, we have engaged a federal mediator to help facilitate bargaining and bring the two parties together. We remain hopeful that we can conclude negotiations as soon as possible.

Again, welcome back and best wishes to you for a safe and happy holiday season.