Community Hospital Workers and Their Allies Demand Fair Elections

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/20/18454871.php

As the largest private sector union organizing drive in Fresno’s history get underway, Community Medical Center (CMC) is being asked to agree to hold free and fair elections. CMC management has rejected the proposal for free and fair elections and has instead hired a union-busting firm that has implemented policies that threaten and intimidate union supporters. Unfair labor practice charges have been filed against CMC. On October 17 several CMC workers testified at a public hearing about what is going on at their workplace. This article is about the public hearing held by the Fresno Fair Election Commission to listen to the workers concerns.



Union Organizing Drive at Community Hospital Heats Up
By Mike Rhodes

Workers at Community Medical Center (CMC) in Fresno are fed up with low pay, disrespect by management, understaffed departments, and an anti-union campaign they say has violated Federal labor law. Latisha Jones, speaking at a public hearing before the Fresno Fair Election Commission, said CMC security guards told her not to hand out flyers supporting the union. Jones said the guards told her "that if we did not leave they would call police and press charges against us." Jones was there on her own time, was not blocking access to the hospital, and had a legal right to be there. She and her co-workers stayed and handed out flyers - they refused to be threatened and intimidated.

Workers like Jones are standing up for their rights and organizing a union because they want better working conditions at CMC. Workers at CMC know that employees doing the same job at Kaiser Hospital, which is union, are making twice as much money. They also know that under a union contract they will have job security, better benefits (like health care, which some workers don’t currently have for their family members), and a work environment that gives them dignity and respect.

The Fresno Fair Elections Commission is a local coalition of elected, community, medical, and religious leaders who have stepped forward to establish a free and fair election at CMC. They invited both workers and CMC management to the October 17, 2007 public hearing. Over 200 CMC workers and community members attended the public hearing at the College Community Congregational Church, but the management of CMC refused to participate.

What management would have heard, had they attended, is that workers at the hospital feel they are being threatened and intimidated because of their support for the union. These workers have filed a series of charges against management over ongoing violations of labor law. They talked about the incidents that led to the unfair labor practice charges and about why they are organizing a union.

Lydia Martinez, who is a licensed vocational nurse at Community Medical Center, was the first speaker at the hearing. She said "Community Medical Centers’ management has responded by systematically creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion with regard to our efforts to form a union." Martinez said "under current labor law, our boss is allowed to give us misinformation and half-truths. They’re even allowed to hold mandatory anti-union meetings. They can pull us off the floor and make us go to meetings, and we have no choice in the matter. Our managers can pull us into their offices for one-on-one meetings, which can be very intimidating. They’re also allowed, under the law, to take money that should be used for patient care and spend it on hiring outside groups who come in and try to stop us from forming our union."

This is the largest private sector union organizing drive in Fresno’s history

FULL story at link.