By Noah Henson
Just down the road from the Blue Cross Blue Shield office of Grand Rapids, on the corner of Ionia Avenue and Monroe Center Street, stand dozens of workers on strike who claim to have had enough. After weeks of negotiating for a better contract, hundreds of Blue Cross Blue Shield workers across the state of Michigan walked out on strike on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
This contract renegotiation focuses on limiting the ability of Blue Cross Blue Shield to outsource healthcare and call center jobs to foreign countries, with the hopes of paying these workers cheaper wages. The Blue Cross workers are represented by the United Auto Workers, which claims this outsourcing has led to a decrease in union membership over the last decade.
The workers on strike at the Blue Cross Blue Shield in Grand Rapids say they are fed up with jobs being contracted outside of the local Grand Rapids community for cheaper wages.
Joshua Haggard, of Grand Rapids, was one of the few dozen citizens that have decided to go on strike this week.
“They’re paying these third party individuals… essentially slave wages that are unattainable anywhere else,” Haggard said. “What we want is to make sure that jobs stay in this community… once these jobs are gone from the heart of the city, that’s it. They’re not coming back.”
This sentiment seems to be echoed by all who have taken part in this strike.
“There is a cynicism implied in the idea that we are asking too much… It’s a slap in the face to everyone” said Donald Scamehorn, 57, of Grand Rapids, who has worked at the local Blue Cross Blue Shield office for two decades.
The UAW has been able to issue strike pay in order to keep their members afloat while they fight for their jobs. While the workers are making the citizens of Grand Rapids aware of what’s going on at Blue Cross Blue Shield, the UAW, which is also spearheading another nationwide auto worker strike, is negotiating, trying to find a common ground between the two parties. The UAW has posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the deadline for progress is Friday, Sept 22, otherwise they will orchestrate more walk-outs.
The Collegiate could not reach Blue Cross Blue Shield of Grand Rapids officials for comment.
