Unionized health care workers at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital from Union Local 5123 held a protest Wednesday afternoon in front of their workplace at 365 Montauk Ave.

Workers protested for “better staffing, affordable housing and better wages,” union president Connie Fields said. One sign at the protest earlier in the day called for wages of $18 an hour for health workers.

Workers and the hospital have been at an impasse in contract negotiations for more than a year. The union says L+M refuses to offer workers a living wage and affordable health insurance. L+M’s president and chief executive officer acknowledged the impasse earlier this year, saying the hospital has been unable to reach an agreement with the health care workers after many months of negotiations. L+M’s contract with the union expired June 30, 2022.