GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — United Auto Workers (UAW) representing Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) workers were striking in downtown Grand Rapids Wednesday.
President Janice Hilliard of UAW’s Local 2145 confirmed the information with FOX 17 Wednesday morning. Local 2145 represents workers for BCBS of Michigan and the Blue Care Network (BCN).
Union members were outside the BCBS of Michigan building on Monroe Center Street.
Roughly 1,400 members began contract negotiations on July 11. The UAW says they are demanding better wages and job security in addition to improved training procedures. Meanwhile, they say BCBSM’s CEO made $45 million over the past three years.
"We also have a lot of other work that's being outsourced," says Hilliard. "We want to protect those jobs. ... We also want to get retiree health care for some of our people who started working at Blue Cross Blue Shield after 2009."
We’re told BCBSM and BCN workers specialize in a wide variety of fields, including customer service, maintenance, billing, analysis and more.
READ MORE: UAW members prepare to get by on strike pay ahead of potential work stoppage
