LISTEN: Nurses at Hahnemann Hospital Fight to Unionize
Since January, nurses inside Hahnemann Hospital in Center City Philadelphia have been working towards unionizing. Despite the union-busting tactics employed by Tenet management, nurses have organized in support of joining Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP).
Currently, Hahnemann workers are awaiting a decision from the National Labor Relations Board to find out if the results of their recent union vote will be counted.
In the midst of this uncertainty, one nurse agreed to an anonymous interview with Labor Justice Radio. He explains the events that led up to the union election and talks about what is at stake for nurses like himself.
This piece was produced by Megan Williamson for Labor Justice Radio.
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great segment Megan!
It's particularly disheartening to hear that the closure of Northeastern is used against the Nurses' organizing. Over and over again, I've talked with community members that need care, who are terrified and angry that Temple is closing Northeastern, and I have friends who are graudating from nursing school who can't find a job...the infrastructure to connect those who need care and those who want to provide it needs to be fixed. His concern around staffing, and the role that the union could play in ensuring that nurses aren't overworked, would create jobs for those graduating and make sure patients are safe.
Agreed
This is a fantastic segment Megan. I posted the Interview over at Young Philly Politics a well:
http://www.youngphillypolitics.com/nurses_campaign_hahnemann_and_lasting...
didn't pass
The labor board let the votes be counted and the union did not pass by 40 votes
VERY onesided
Why is this such a onesided interview? Why did you not post both views at Hahnemann? The nurses were blindsided by this organizing attempt. This was a coroporate agreement that brought the union into our facility. It was both the pro union as well as anti union nurses section 7(a) rights to protest or support this organizing attempt. The nurses that this directly involved were not informed of this by the union, senior management had a "gag" order that prevented the education, the nurse that filed the unfair labor charges filed in March of 2009 not June, and the National Right to Work foundation supported the RNs resisting the union with information contacts and resources.
The opinion and views posted by this report are exactly what the union did to the nurses if both sides are not presented it is unfair. Why did the union fight so hard to keep the professional nurses opinions quiet? What's the saying if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Thank you to nurses who are fighting for their patients
The thing that struck me most as I listened to this nurse speak about why he wanted a union was his concern for his patients. He said that he wanted there to be a union so that nurses could be less overworked and therefore give each patient better care. My mother has been in the hospital recently, and to be in an environment where it seems like the doctors and nurses do not care what happens to this person I love so much, do not have time to stop and explain to us what is happening, has been one of the most brutal parts of her illness. I hope that nurses at Hahnemann and every hospital can someday have working conditions that allow them to provide the type of care that they want to give and that their patients need!