25 Protesters Arrested In Union Rallies At UPMC

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Organizers say 25 protesters have been arrested during a demonstration for a labor union and higher employee wages at the regional health care giant, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

UPMC officials did not comment on Wednesday's events organized by the Service Employees International Union outside UPMC's Pittsburgh headquarters.

The protest snarled downtown Pittsburgh traffic nearby, although the demonstration was peaceful. Union officials say UPMC has retaliated and fired employees who supported unionization.

Earlier, three union janitors, two union officials and a minister were cited for trespassing for refusing to leave UPMC's Aiken Medical Building next to UPMC Shadyside Hospital. They were protesting because UPMC in June hired a company that uses non-union janitors to clean the building.

Pitcairn-based ServiceMaster, which uses union labor, lost the contract in May.

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(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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