www.newsandletters.org
|
|
NEWS & LETTERS, April - May 2008St. Francis Hospital harasses union driveMemphis, Tenn.--Hospital workers are organizing at St Francis Hospital, a member of the Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Tenet Healthcare signed an agreement with the Service Employees International Unions (SEIU) to remain neutral during a union organizing drive across the country. Despite this commitment, four St Francis employees who are union supporters have been fired in recent weeks. By the end of March, SEIU filed a complaint with the arbitrator that lists over 200 violations of the neutrality agreement. While many of the stronger Nurses Associations like Massachusetts and California have been critical of the neutrality agreement, in the South, where right-to-work culture rules, the neutrality agreement is actually a step forward. The Midsouth Interfaith Network for Economic Justice is organizing community support for the SEIU effort. At a public meeting at a neutral location, hospital workers like Sandra Write and Mary Davis spoke passionately about the need to change the culture of the hospital from one that is punitive to one that is committed to patient care. Sandra Write, sterile processor in the Surgery Unit, said, "It's hard to take good care of our patients when the patient ratios are so high. We need a change for the better." Mary Davis, Certified Cardiology technician fired by St Francis said, "Everyone should be treated equally. I want to see an end to retaliation for talking about problems on the job with your manager." A wide range of employees is organizing, from registered nurses to certified nursing assistants (CNA), with the CNAs serving as the majority at this time. CNAs are the support staff whose labor forms the critical work needed for quality patient care. Three of the four organizers terminated were CNAs and the fourth is a licensed practical nurse (LPN). These are some of the most vulnerable workers in the hospital, yet they have bravely supported unionization as a way to improve patient care. Problems include short staffing, disrespectful treatment by supervisors, and lack of patient care input. What is clear is that the hospital is actively organizing to scare workers away from signing a yes card for a union vote. Workers on one floor of the hospital were told that they would lose their jobs if they voted in the union. In the face of such intimidation, these courageous women are standing up for their rights as workers and as care providers for our community's sickest members. This organizing drive could also be educational for a community that has been mis-educated for so long on the dangers of unionization. For the workers, patients and the community, this drive needs to succeed. The Memphis Local of News and Letters Committee will keep you updated on the unionization efforts. --Red Al |
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Dialogues l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search Published by News and Letters Committees |
