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NEWS & LETTERS, June 2004Resurrection Health workers fight for unionChicago--Workers at nine Chicago-area hospitals managed by Resurrection Health are trying to organize a union to protect themselves and their patients from management practices that put profit before quality health care. At a large rally held May 2, three workers explained why they fight. The workers are seeking representation by AFSCME.--K.M. RN, Cardiac CT lab: I became a nurse to help people and to do more for my community. I want to ensure quality of care in an environment that is respectful. We have grown from three to nine hospitals in the past seven years. We are becoming just another corporation. The ideas have stopped flowing from the bedside up and flow from the office of counsel down. I have seen many nurses leave because of burnout. We want to give the full amount of attention the patients need. The housekeepers are flying from room to room in order to prepare for the next patient. One of my RN co-workers was fired recently. I feel that it was because he always spoke his mind about the conditions of work. I’m glad to see the turnout today. Every time we come together we get stronger. RN, St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital: I have been a nurse for 10 years. Management used to be sincerely concerned. Now it’s much more corporate. I work in a gastrointestinal lab, but I used to be a nurse on the medical surgical ward. If I hadn’t changed units, I would have burned out. I was overworked and often had to pass work to the next shift. There is no policy that says you have to punch out and continue working, but we have to do it to get our jobs done. We are punished for taking sick days. Calling in sick is classified as an instance and we are allowed only seven instances per year. I have gone to work sick and worn a surgical mask to protect patients. I don’t think this policy has solved staff shortages. I am convinced that as more Chicago hospitals become corporate, the quality of care will suffer. Housekeeper, West Lake Hospital,Melrose Park: I have worked at West Lake for eight years. I started out as a patient care assistant, but was moved to the housekeeping department and lost pay. West Lake no longer seems like a family. We often do double or triple work with no extra pay. Many of the housekeepers make $8 an hour and pay between one to two hundred dollars every two weeks for health insurance. We have been threatened and harassed by management for our organizing drive. We have been forced to attend anti-union meetings. When we began using our staff mailboxes for distributing union flyers, management removed the boxes from our office. The environment management has created is so hostile that many people won’t even look at open union supporters for fear that they will be fired. |
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