By UE150
UE150 DHHS Council leaders participated in two actions the second week of January 2026 to demand use of the $386 Million DHHS lapsed salary fund. This included demands around an immediate $3,000 bonus, 10 percent temporary bonus, creation of a Safe Staffing Task Force and advocacy for raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour.
On January 13, 2026, UE150 DHHS Council leaders attended the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee meeting for DHHS. This committee includes elected House and Senate members who oversee DHHS. Before the meeting, UE150 members hosted a press conference in front of the Legislative building. During the committee meeting, union members delivered over 650 petition signatures to high-ranking officials.
William Young, UE150 President at Cherry Hospital told the press: “We are here today because hundreds of healthcare workers are upset that we have not received a raise this year, and yet DHHS is sitting on $386 million worth of lapsed salary funds. This is not acceptable. We need a raise! Everything is going up. Our insurance has gone up.”
On Thursday, January 15, UE150 DHHS Council leaders also met with DHHS Secretary Devutta Sangvai, along with DSOHF Director Nikki Ashmont, Karen Burkes, and other DHHS officials. In addition to delivering our petitions, this was a high-level meeting where UE150 put forth the following proposals:
Communications—Quarterly meetings between UE 150 leadership and DSOHF Director, yearly site visits by DHHS leadership where they will hold meetings with frontline workers without the presence of supervisors. Help with facilitating meetings and conferences with CEOs and authorize access to new employee orientation in addition to monthly access for union meetings.
Raises—Immediate $3000 bonus to all active employees without exceptions, a 10 percent temporary pay raise to high vacancy positions, and paychecks every 2 weeks instead of monthly. Advocate to the legislature for a $25 minimum wage and 20% salary increase for all employees. Institute a 7-year Step Pay Plan.
Safety—Recognize that patient characteristics are changing. Improve training for new hires and annual trainings. Enhance safety protocols given the high rate of ITP patients. More visible law enforcement presence. Metal detectors at visitor entrances. Separate patients with forensics charges from IVC patients. Institute a zero-tolerance policy for physical violence perpetrated upon health care workers. DSOHF create a Safe Staffing Task Force
Workplace—Recognize that significant improvements are needed to create and sustain healthier workplaces with true safety cultures. We need workplaces without bullying or retaliation. Create a yearly feedback system where workers can anonymously evaluate their supervisor. Stay Interviews to provide valuable feedback. A grievance procedure for reporting incidents of supervisor bullying. Institute a more effective method than HR (ombudsman) to investigate repetitive violations of hospital policy by supervisors. Well-known bullies should not be allowed to thrive.
Secretary Sangvai listened intently to these proposals. He was especially interested in creating a workplace with zero tolerance for workplace bullying and in pursuing the creation of a Safe Staffing Task Force. Workers must stay active in their workplaces and in the union so we can achieve these needed changes!
DHHS workers speak out
Peggy Briggins, Caswell Center, UE150 DHHS Council Chair: “We represent the most vulnerable individuals. I have been there 28 years. We used to receive merit bonuses. Now everything is changing. We need a $3,000 bonus with no strings attached. For someone to have a written warning and be knocked out of bonuses, even though they have given 15-20 years, that is not fair. We need a raise to $25 per hour minimum and 20% for all DHHS workers. There is no reason a state employee should work a second job. We are losing people to private facilities and factories because they are paid better than us.”
Rakesh Patel, Central Regional Hospital, UE150 Chapter President: “70% of our patients are coming in from jail. There forensics patients are placed on the same units as our community mental health patients. This creates safety issues for both patients and staff. UE 150 has always strived for Safety, Fairness, and Excellence, providing the best care possible. We are worried about the census at the hospital. There are not enough staff CNAs or RNs. We have shared our concerns with the legislature. Some of them are not as committed to the DHHS mission as we are. DHHS continues to spend a ton of money to pay temporary staff (2-3 times the salary paid to permanent staff). This is not a good business model. 60% of RNs at CRH are agency. It is really hard to run a hospital with all that chaos and lack of training. We are hoping to work with you all to establish a Safe Staffing Task Force.”
William Young, Cherry Hospital, UE150 Local Vice President: “We are requesting quarterly meetings between UE 150 leadership and DSOHF Director. We also need help with facilitating UE150 meet and confers with CEOs. Cherry Hospital is currently denying our requests, violating DHHS policy. We would also like you to authorize access to the new employee orientations in addition to monthly access for union meetings.”
Sekia Royall, O’Berry Center: “Workers are frustrated. We keep getting the end of the stick. We do not have a state budget, and state workers have not received any raise this year. That is why we can’t keep people. We collected over 600 signatures from DHHS workers across the state on our petition demanding the use of the $386 million in lapsed salary fund to pay us now!”
Source: UE150.org Newsletter, February 2026