Composite story
About 200 Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital workers go on strike
Cleveland, OhioPublished 28 Sep 2026
SEIU District 1199 caregivers walked out Wednesday after months of talks. Pay, health-care costs, staffing, and drug testing are in dispute. The hospital says patient care continues.
About 200 SEIU District 1199 workers at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital in Ohio City walked out Wednesday, Sept. 23, after bargaining that union leaders say began in February. They want higher pay, safer staffing, workplace protections, and relief from health-care costs. The hospital says no agreement has been reached and that care continues without disruption. Union speakers say management forced the strike. U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown joined the picket and said the Clinic had not answered her.
Disputed opinions
None yet.
Nurses and workers at Cleveland's Lutheran Hospital walk off the job in strike over wages and staffing
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
Tajuana Johnson told the hospital to give the workers safe staffing.
Tajuana Johnson, a menu specialist at Cleveland Clinic, was among those who walked out.
Tajuana Johnson told the hospital to lower the workers’ health insurance.
Tajuana Johnson told the hospital to give the workers more money.
Tajuana Johnson has worked at Cleveland Clinic for 20 years.
Tajuana Johnson said she is holding back tears but has to do this for herself and her coworkers.
Vanessa Dalesandro said Cleveland Clinic claims to be world-class care and the best place to work in health care.
State Rep. Tristan Rader stood with the workers.
Vanessa Dalesandro said what happens next depends on the Clinic and the ball is in the Clinic’s court.
Councilman Tanmay Shah said he is there to stand with workers so the Clinic does its work.
Opinion
Tajuana Johnson told hospital leadership to stop playing with the workers.
Tajuana Johnson said the workers stand united and that united they win.
Tanmay Shah said Cleveland Clinic cannot pay its workers enough to live.
The walkout is personal for Tajuana Johnson.
Tajuana Johnson said the dispute is very hurtful.
Tristan Rader said these are the workers people called heroes during the pandemic.
Tanmay Shah said the Clinic needs to negotiate and that they negotiate good pay.
Vanessa Dalesandro said the Clinic needs to get to the bargaining table and bargain in good faith.
Vanessa Dalesandro said the Clinic should respect its caregivers.
Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital workers are on the strike line
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
Brian Higgins said caregivers are assaulted and threatened on the job.
The Lutheran Hospital workers are on the strike line Thursday.
SEIU District 1199 members held a Final Countdown workers’ march Tuesday afternoon.
The previous contract expired in April.
Vanessa Dalesandro said hospital leadership has pushed the union to waive its right to bargain over health insurance in future contracts.
Brian Higgins is a power plant mechanic at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital and an SEIU District 1199 executive board member.
Opinion
Brian Higgins said workers are being asked to accept crumbs and work without the protections they deserve.
Vanessa Dalesandro said Cleveland Clinic can protect its image all it wants.
Union workers strike at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
The union said Cleveland Clinic representatives gave no indication they would return to negotiations as the strike deadline neared.
The union includes some nurses and nursing assistants as well as maintenance, housekeeping, and laundry workers.
Employees said they would rather be at work.
SEIU 1199 district director Vanessa Dalesandro blamed Cleveland Clinic management.
Vanessa Dalesandro said workers who came to the bargaining table bargained in good faith.
Vanessa Dalesandro said staff had seen no temporary workers at the hospital to replace strikers.
Brian Higgins, a power plant mechanic and union executive board member, said employees work 12- to 16-hour days.
Brian Higgins said there is exactly one nursing aide on seven floors right now.
Union representatives said they emailed the mediator Wednesday morning to continue bargaining and did not get a response from Cleveland Clinic.
Tanesha Jamerson said she would rather be inside working.
Union representatives said no dates are currently scheduled to resume negotiations.
Tanesha Jamerson said she cares about her work and the patients.
Tanesha Jamerson has been a sterile processing technician at Lutheran Hospital for four years.
Tanesha Jamerson said striking is not something she wanted to do.
Tanesha Jamerson said she is not happy.
Opinion
Employees said they felt compelled to strike.
Vanessa Dalesandro said Cleveland Clinic management forced the strike to happen.
Vanessa Dalesandro said she is skeptical of the Clinic’s plans to maintain patient care.
Brian Higgins said the workers are not asking to become millionaires.
Tanesha Jamerson said that if the workers do not strike, nothing is going to be resolved.
Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital workers are on strike
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
At noon, striking workers met outside Lutheran Hospital on West 25th Street.
Becky Williams said the Clinic’s answer, when workers cannot afford health care, is to have them sell vacation and sick time.
Becky Williams asked the community to stand with Cleveland Clinic caregivers.
Becky Williams said Cleveland Clinic is one of America’s largest health-care systems.
Becky Williams said Ohio voters decided years ago that adults can legally use cannabis.
Opinion
Becky Williams said this fight is about more than wages or one contract.
Becky Williams said the Clinic wants to turn drug testing into a tool to police workers’ private lives.
Congresswoman Shontel Brown joins Lutheran Hospital picket line
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 28 Sep 2026
Facts
Employees are also asking for the right to spend their free time as they see fit.
Shontel Brown wrote that workers had shared concerns about the pace of bargaining, workplace conditions, staffing, health-care costs, and conduct they believe undermined negotiations.
Opinion
Shontel Brown said the workers’ ask is not unreasonable.