Company benefits from federal contracts and pays CEO 241 times the median worker while denying annual raises and delaying a first contract to workers
AURORA, Ohio, July 30, 2026 – The 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is calling on Ohio’s congressional delegation to intervene as GE HealthCare continues to delay a first contract for approximately 130 IAM-represented workers at its Aurora, Ohio manufacturing facility after more than 18 months of contentious negotiations and repeated alleged violations of federal labor law.
The IAM has sent letters to U.S. Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Jon Husted (R-Ohio), along with U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), urging them to press GE HealthCare to bargain in good faith with IAM Local 1363 members. The outreach comes as Congress considers the Faster Labor Contracts Act, legislation designed to impose stricter penalties on employers that refuse to negotiate first contracts in good faith.
Workers at this facility, an important player in the global medical technology industry, create coils for MRI machines that transmit critical imaging signals.
“These workers have fought for over 18 months to secure a first contract, despite the company continuously engaging in egregious unlawful conduct in violation of the National Labor Relations Act,” writes IAM Union International President Brian Bryant in letters to Moreno, Husted and Joyce. “Despite consistent efforts by the workers and their bargaining committee, GE HealthCare refuses to meet to bargain on a regular schedule. It refused to provide any economic proposals until just two weeks ago—and those proposals were regressive, lowering wages below the employees’ current rates of pay, slashing PTO and increasing healthcare costs for the workers and their families.”
The IAM Union has filed two unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that GE HealthCare has engaged in unlawful surface bargaining and failed to bargain in good faith. The charges include allegations that the company canceled bargaining sessions, made regressive proposals, and unlawfully refused to maintain the status quo by withholding previously scheduled wage increases after workers chose union representation.
Despite reporting more than $2 billion in annual net income and benefiting from substantial federal research, development and procurement partnerships, GE HealthCare did not present its first comprehensive economic proposal until July 2026.
“Every day, my coworkers and I take pride in building products that help doctors diagnose and treat patients around the world. We care about the quality of our work because we know it makes a real difference in people’s lives,” said Montana Hayes, a Production Associate at GE HealthCare and member of the IAM Local 1363 Negotiations Committee. “We’re not asking for anything extraordinary. We just want GE HealthCare to respect our rights, bargain fairly, and recognize the value of the workers who make this company successful. After more than 18 months, it’s time for the company to stop delaying and negotiate the fair first contract we’ve earned.”
The company’s proposal cuts wages below employees’ current pay rates, slashes paid time off, and increases healthcare costs for workers and their families.
“GE HealthCare has chosen to drag out negotiations instead of respecting its employees’ decision to form a union and negotiate a fair first contract,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “Our members have shown up prepared to bargain every step of the way. They deserve a company that negotiates in good faith—not delay tactics, regressive proposals and unlawful conduct. We will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with Local 1363 until GE HealthCare does the right thing and these workers secure the contract they’ve earned.”
The approximately 130 IAM Local 1363 members at GE HealthCare’s Aurora facility voted to join the IAM Union in January 2025 and have been negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement ever since.
GE Healthcare, which employs over 60,000 people worldwide, has more than 20,000 union-represented workers across the U.S. The IAM Union also represents GE HealthCare workers in Waukesha, Wis., and Warrensville Heights, Ohio.
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